Emergency Antennas, Silent Stations, and
Special Temporary Authority (STA)

Emergency Antennas

The Commission's rules provide for immediate restoration of operation for broadcast stations when licensed transmission systems have been damaged and cannot be used. See Section 73.1680, Emergency Antennas. Some important points about emergency antennas:

Special Temporary Authority

When a broadcast station cannot operate in accordance with its license due to equipment failure, damage to licensed transmission systems, or other causes, the station may request STA via electronic or paper filing. Section 73.1635 is the rule governing STA operation; other related rule parts are 73.1680 (emergency antennas); 73.1560 (reduced power); 73.62 (AM directional antennas) 73.1740 (reduced hours).

Some helpful hints about electronic STA filings:

STA Site Change Policy

STA requests which involve a change in transmitter site must meet these criteria:

  1. Loss of the licensed site must be beyond the licensee's control.
  2. STA facilities must continue to provide service to the licensed community.
  3. STA facilities must maintain, as closely as practicable, the licensed service area without extending it.
  4. STA facilities cannot involve the construction of towers intended for permanent use by the station requesting the STA.

AM Directional Stations

AM directional antennas are complex, and filing an STA for such an AM directional station can be confusing for attorneys and licensees without engineering backgrounds. A list follows of the three most common kinds of STA for AM directional stations, with rule parts and descriptions:

STA Paper Filing Instructions (Commercial Stations)

The following four items are required for paper STA filings:

  1. The letter request, which states the reason for the request and the technical details of the STA operation. The letter must contain the station callsign and facility ID number on the first or cover page.
  2. Fee payment in the amount of $160.00 (check or credit card).
  3. FCC Form 159, which transmits the fee payment to our fee contractor, US Bank, St. Louis, MO. The Payment Type Code for an AM or FM STA is "MGR". It is necessary to have an FCC Registration Number (FRN) in order to complete Form 159. Form 159 can be downloaded from the FCC website, at http://www.fcc.gov/Forms/Form159/159.pdf.
  4. A certification pursuant to the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, signed by an officer of the licensee.

The certification language (See Section 1.2002) may be included within the letter, or it may be a separate form. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act certification can be downloaded from the Commission's internet site, at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/antidrug.html.

An original plus one copy of the above materials (do not submit a copy of the check) should be filed at the following address:

If you are using an overnight courier service (strongly recommended), the materials should be placed inside the courier's envelope in a separate envelope bearing the above address. The courier should deliver the package to:

Filing information for all Media Bureau applications can be found in the October 17, 2006, edition of the Application Fee Filing Guide for Media Bureau.

STA Paper Filing Instructions (Noncommercial Educational Stations)

Noncommercial educational stations are not required to pay application filing fees for an STA request. Noncommercial educational stations seeking an STA should file

  1. The letter request, which states the reason for the request and the technical details of the STA operation. The letter must contain the station callsign and facility ID number on the first or cover page.
  2. A certification pursuant to the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, signed by an officer of the licensee. The certification language (See Section 1.2002) may be included within the letter, or it may be a separate form. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act certification can be downloaded from the Commission's internet site, at: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/antidrug.html.

    Noncommercial educational STA filings (original and two copies) should not be sent to the above US Bank address, but to the address listed in Filing Locations for Paper Documents and should include a statement on the cover page that a filing fee is not required.

Silent Stations

Pursuant to Section 73.1740 of the Commission's rules, broadcast stations may remain silent for up to 10 days without Commission authority. If the station is or will be silent for up to 30 days, the Commission must be notified (by letter) that the station is silent. If the station will be or has been silent for more than 30 days, the licensee must request Special Temporary Authority (STA) to remain silent. However, the Commission can not grant an STA to remain silent unless the reason for the station's silence is beyond the control of the licensee. A request for an STA to remain silent may be either electronically filed or submitted in letter form. The request must be signed by an officer or director of the licensee. If the request is submitted in letter form, an anti-drug certification must be attached and signed by an officer or director of the licensee. There are no filing fees associated with a request for an STA to remain silent.

Silent STAs, at the staff's discretion, may be granted up to 180 days. If a station is or will be silent beyond the expiration of its STA, a request to extend the STA must be submitted at the time of expiration. The requirements for extension of an STA to remain silent are the same as the for the initial request. However, a licensee must explain in the extension request what efforts it has made to return the station to operation during the period of its STA and why an extension is needed. Stations may remain silent for no more than one year. The licenses of stations remaining silent for more than one year are considered by the Commission to have automatically expired as a matter of law pursuant to Section 312(g) of the Communications Act.

The staff maintains a list of stations that have been silent for at least 2 months. Be advised that the fact a station is silent does not automatically imply that the station is available for purchase from the licensee.