Lowcountry Media to Pay $250,000 Penalty, Surrender Nearly 100 Stations Over 'Hops'

Low-power TV broadcaster Lowcountry 34 Media agreed to pay $250,000 penalty and relinquish nearly 100 low-power TV and translator stations over allegations it abused FCC licensing processes to relocate large numbers of stations from rural underserved areas to denser, more urban markets, said a consent decree Monday. Lowcountry erected temporary stations, operated them only a few days and filed multiple requests for minor modifications -- moves of 30 miles or less -- to inch those stations into bigger markets, said the consent decree. Between June and August, LPTV station W29EN-D Beaufort-Lady’s Island, South Carolina, moved more than 99 miles from original community of license Soperton, Georgia, via a series of eight minor modification applications, the consent decree said. Moving stations in this way violates the intent of the minor change rule and denies the public the opportunity to comment on major relocations, the agency said. Low-power broadcasters have said the lack of flexibility in FCC rules for LPTV stations to relocate leads to broadcasters attempting to move through “hops” [see 2112280050). Under the consent decree, Lowcountry will relinquish close to 100 stations to the FCC, and sell just over 30 more, retaining close to 80 stations. It must also create a compliance plan that includes employee training on compliance with communications laws and reporting to the FCC for three years. Lowcountry declined to comment.