I have sought advice from a communications lawyer, and was informed
that there is no applicable time limit for the Commission to act on
applications. The attorney said this is often a problem where the
Commission simply doesn't want to act on the application; in such a
case, they will try to just sit on it forever. When the delay becomes
particularly egregious, the attorney files a petition for a writ of
mandamus against the Commission in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Columbia, which has exclusive jurisdiction over such
actions.