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The bill provides targeted grants and regulatory clarity to help small, unaffiliated AM/FM stations reduce foreign interference and improve service, but confines eligibility, imposes operational conditions that may limit flexibility, and requires modest federal spending.
Small, unaffiliated local AM/FM stations can receive federal grants to buy and operate equipment that mitigates Cuban-origin interference, improving signal reliability for rural listeners and the stations that serve them.
Small, unaffiliated stations that operate funded mitigation equipment under FCC-specified terms will be treated as compliant with federal law and their license, reducing regulatory uncertainty and legal risk for station owners.
Small, unaffiliated stations only: The grant program limits eligibility to small, unaffiliated broadcasters and creates administrative requirements, excluding network-affiliated stations and potentially leaving some operators without relief.
Small stations and rural listeners: FCC-specified operational terms for funded equipment could restrict how stations use the gear and require technical changes, reducing operational flexibility and increasing complexity for station operators.
Taxpayers will bear the cost of the federal grants to address foreign-origin interference, adding federal spending for a problem that affects a relatively limited number of stations and listeners.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes the FCC to run a competitive grant program to help small, independent AM/FM stations affected by Cuban transmissions buy and operate interference‑mitigation equipment.
Introduced December 12, 2025 by Darren Michael Soto · Last progress December 12, 2025
Creates a competitive FCC grant program to help small, independent AM and FM radio stations that suffer harmful interference from transmissions originating in Cuba buy and operate equipment and technology to reduce that interference. Grants must be used for acquisition and operation of mitigation technology that meets FCC terms, and equipment operated consistent with those terms is treated as compliant with the Communications Act, FCC rules, and the station license. Only licensees of covered AM or FM stations — defined as FCC‑licensed stations with a small coverage area and not affiliated with any radio network or government entity — may apply. The text directs the Commission to set program terms and conditions to reduce interference while avoiding harm to other spectrum users; no specific funding level or start date is specified.