47 USC 331 - Very high frequency stations and AM radio stations

§ 331. Very high frequency stations and AM radio stations

(a) Very high frequency stations

It shall be the policy of the Federal Communications Commission to allocate channels for very high frequency commercial television broadcasting in a manner which ensures that not less than one such channel shall be allocated to each State, if technically feasible. In any case in which licensee of a very high frequency commercial television broadcast station notifies the Commission to the effect that such licensee will agree to the reallocation of its channel to a community within a State in which there is allocated no very high frequency commercial television broadcast channel at the time 1

1 So in original. Probably should be followed by “of”.

such notification, the Commission shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law, order such reallocation and issue a license to such licensee for that purpose pursuant to such notification for a term of not to exceed 5 years as provided in section 307(d) 2

2 See References in Text note below.

of this title.

(b) AM radio stations

It shall be the policy of the Commission, in any case in which the licensee of an existing AM daytime-only station located in a community with a population of more than 100,000 persons that lacks a local full-time aural station licensed to that community and that is located within a Class I station primary service area notifies the Commission that such licensee seeks to provide full-time service, to ensure that such a licensee is able to place a principal community contour signal over its entire community of license 24 hours a day, if technically feasible.

(June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title III, § 331, as added Pub. L. 97–248, title III, § 355, Sept. 3, 1982, 96 Stat. 641; amended Pub. L. 102–243, § 4, Dec. 20, 1991, 105 Stat. 2402; Pub. L. 103–414, title III, § 303(a)(18), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4295; Pub. L. 115–141, div. P, title IV, § 402(i)(5), Mar. 23, 2018, 132 Stat. 1089.)