MMTC Has Ear to Radio

The Minority Media & Telecommunications Council told the Federal Communications Commission in a filing that the single biggest boost it could give to minority ownership would be to migrate AM stations to "the promised land" of FM service on spectrum currently used for TV channels 5 and 6. That would triple the value of minority-owned radio stations, the group said. The MMTC also said it was "gravely concerned" about the commission's adoption of a "small-business" definition of the eligible entities that qualify for the FCC's diversity initiatives, some of which it has adopted and others it has put out for comment. The group would prefer a "socially and economically disadvantaged business" (SDB) definition, but it said that because the FCC's data collection on media ownership is "neither current nor accurate," it will need to improve it.