New FAA Tower Rules Take Effect

WASHINGTON: New Federal Aviation Administration tower rules take effect in this month. While the immediate impact on radio and television owners with towers will be limited, experts also say the door has been left open for tougher FAA scrutiny of electromagnetic interference from the FM radio band to aviation communications.

After the FAA proposed rule changes in 2006, broadcasters and tower owners had feared more involvement from the FAA and the Department of Transportation for future tower projects or modifications, according to industry watchers. However, the FAA appears to have backed off much of its initial effort to bring a wide range of broadcast applications under its control.

The original proposal would have meant increased notification requirements for stations, expanded to include construction of new facilities that operate in specified frequency bands, addition of newer frequencies, increases in effective radiated power or antenna height above certain thresholds and changes in authorized frequency.

The FAA said it wanted to simplify and modernize its rules. See details at Radio World.