Media Bureau Says No to Geotargeted Radio Deadline Extension

The FCC Media Bureau denied NAB and NPR’s request for an extension of filing deadlines for comments on GeoBroadcast Solutions’ tests of geotargeted radio tech, said an order posted Tuesday in docket 20-401. NPR and NAB “have not shown good cause” for the extension (see 2205180048), said the order. “We agree with GeoBroadcast that the public interest will be best served by expeditious review of the GeoBroadcast test reports and other material in the record,” the order said. NAB Chief Legal Officer Rick Kaplan called the denial “surprising and disappointing,” in a release Tuesday. The FCC “has provided numerous extensions to GBS totaling over two years in length,” said NAB. “We are not aware of a situation where the FCC has denied such a reasonable request, especially in a technical proceeding where documents were not readily available for examination.” “It is the Commission’s general policy that requests for extension of time will not be routinely granted,” the bureau said. The agency shouldn’t “rush to judgment” on the geotargeted radio FM booster proposal, NAB said.