FCC Denies Douglas County Petition to Reconsider License Termination
The FCC Public Safety Bureau dismissed on procedural grounds a petition by a Wisconsin county to reconsider termination of its microwave license and to extend its construction deadline, also denying the request on substance. Douglas County missed an Oct. 8…
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construction deadline, so the bureau Nov. 15 put its license in termination-pending status, but the county sought reconsideration and an extension after finishing the tower site Nov. 22. The petition “is procedurally defective because it is neither signed and verified by the applicant nor signed by an attorney of record,” said Thursday's order. Finishing the site “does not demonstrate that the construction was timely, nor does it justify the County’s failure to file a timely extension request or construction notification,” the bureau said. “Douglas County could have and should have filed an extension request before the construction deadline.” The bureau suggested a path forward. “The County may file a new, properly coordinated application for a license if it desires to use its previously licensed frequencies,” it said. If the county needs to operate while that’s pending, “it may file a request for conditional authorization in accordance with Section 101.31(b) of the Commission’s rules.”