High-Power Digital FM Field Test Project

A petition for rulemaking filed at the FCC in October 2022 by NAB and Xperi requests that the FCC adopt an updated formula to determine FM power levels for stations seeking to exceed the currently authorized FM digital ERP of -14dBc. The proposed new formula, which is based on real world, operational experience gained since the FCC last approved a power increase in 2010, will allow more stations to increase digital power above the existing -14 dBc level, without the need for separate FCC authorization. Included in the joint NAB-Xperi filing is information on a field test project conducted by NAB, Audacy, New York Public Radio and Xperi in 2021 to assess the impact on first-adjacent channels of increasing the digital power level from -14 dBc to -10 dBc. The results of this field test demonstrate that the new formula being proposed should adequately protect first-adjacent channels, and are the topic of this paper.

David Layer | National Association of Broadcasters | Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Alan Jurison | iHeartMedia | Syracuse, New York, United States
Russ Mundschenk | Xperi, Inc. (retired) | Columbia, Maryland, United States
Steve Shultis | New York Public Radio | New York, New York, United States
E. Glynn Walden | Audacy, Inc. (retired) | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States