§  74.432   Licensing requirements and procedures.

   (a) A license for a remote pickup station will be issued to: the
   licensee of an AM, FM, noncommercial FM, low power FM, TV, Class A TV,
   international broadcast or low power TV station; broadcast
   network-entity; or cable network-entity.

   (b) Base stations may operate as automatic relay stations on the
   frequencies listed in § 74.402(b)(4) and (c)(1) under the provisions of
   § 74.436, however, one licensee may not operate such stations on more
   than two frequency pairs in a single area.

   (c) Base stations may use voice communications between the studio and
   transmitter or points of any intercity relay system on frequencies in
   Groups I and J.

   (d) Base stations may be authorized to establish standby circuits from
   places where official broadcasts may be made during times of emergency
   and circuits to interconnect an emergency survival communications
   system.

   (e) In Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, base
   stations may provide program circuits between the studio and
   transmitter or to relay programs between broadcasting stations. A base
   station may be operated unattended in accordance with the following:

   (1) The station must be designed, installed, and protected so that the
   transmitter can only be activated or controlled by persons authorized
   by the licensee.

   (2) The station must be equipped with circuits to prevent transmitter
   operation when no signal is received from the station which it is
   relaying.

   (f) Remote pickup stations may use only those frequencies and
   bandwidths which are necessary for operation.

   (g) An application for a remote pickup broadcast station or system
   shall specify the broadcasting station with which the remote pickup
   broadcast facility is to be principally used and the licensed area of
   operation for a system which includes mobile stations shall be the area
   considered to be served by the associated broadcasting station. Mobile
   stations may be operated outside the licensed area of operation
   pursuant to § 74.24 of this part. Where the applicant for remote pickup
   broadcast facilities is the licensee of more than one class of
   broadcasting station (AM, FM, TV), all licensed to the same community,
   designation of one such station as the associated broadcasting station
   will not preclude use of the remote pickup broadcast facilities with
   those broadcasting stations not included in the designation and such
   additional use shall be at the discretion of the licensee.

   (h) In cases where a series of broadcasts are to be made from the same
   location, portable or mobile transmitters may be left at such location
   for the duration of the series of broadcasts: Provided, The
   transmitting apparatus is properly secured so that it may not be
   operated by unauthorized persons when unattended. Prior Commission
   authority shall be obtained for the installation of any transmitting
   antenna which requires notification to the FAA, pursuant to § 17.7 of
   the Commission's rules and regulations, and which will be in existence
   for more than 2 days.

   (i) The location of each remote pickup broadcast base station will be
   specified in the station or system license and such stations may not be
   operated at any other location without prior authority of the
   Commission.

   (j) The license shall be retained in the licensee's files at the
   address shown on the authorization, posted at the transmitter, or
   posted at the control point of the station.

   (k) In case of permanent discontinuance of operations of a station
   licensed under this subpart, the licensee shall cancel the station
   license using FCC Form 601. For purposes of this section, a station
   which is not operated for a period of one year is considered to have
   been permanently discontinued.

   Note: Licensees of remote pickup broadcast stations licensed prior to
   August 31, 1976, should not file applications to consolidate
   individually licensed transmitters under a single system license until
   the renewal application of the associated broadcast station is filed.
   Applications filed between August 31, 1976, and the date of filing of
   the renewal applications to obtain authorization to use additional
   transmitters or modification of existing stations shall be restricted
   to a single system application necessary to accomplish the desired
   change, but may include consolidation of previously-licensed
   transmitters within the system license. Applications submitted for
   system licensing prior to the time when renewal applications would
   normally be filed which are unnecessary for either administrative or
   operational purposes will be returned as unacceptable for filing.

   (Sec. 5, 48 Stat. 1068; 47 U.S.C. 155)

   [ 41 FR 29686 , July 19, 1976, as amended at  42 FR 2071 , Jan. 10, 1977;
    47 FR 21496 , May 18, 1982;  49 FR 14509 , Apr. 12, 1984;  51 FR 4602 , Feb.
   6, 1986;  58 FR 19775 , Apr. 16, 1993;  60 FR 55482 , Nov. 1, 1995;  65 FR 30011 , May 10, 2000;  68 FR 12764 , Mar. 17, 2003]