June 13, 2014
Although not “technical” now this will effect the engineering department in a large way in the end.
It maybe summertime in the South….but it is getting colder in Washington by the minute.
The FCC has instituted yet another application filing freeze! The Commission released a Public Notice indicating that, effective June 11, 2014, the Media Bureau would cease to accept applications seeking new digital replacement translator stations and LPTV, TV translator, and Class A TV channel displacements.
A Displacement Application is where an LPTV station or authorization can change the operating channel without subjecting the proposal to competing applications.
The Bureau explained that because it issued a freeze on modifications by full power and Class A stations on April 5, 2013, it does not anticipate a need for new replacement translator stations or displacement requests.
They have also commented that halting all applications will allow time to “consider methodologies for repacking television channels to increase the efficiency of channel use.”
A fall out from all these “freeze on applications” has been to equipment vendors and tower crews. As a result many have cut production staff or shut down operations. This is going to have a major effect on the “channel repacking” time frame. If a large number of television stations have to modify their facilities and change their broadcast channels at roughly the same time, how long would it take?
The Commission doesn’t have an answer to that question and has issued a Public Notice seeking comments on a report, commissioned by the FCC and prepared by Widelity, Inc., that attempts to document the variety of actions broadcasters and MVPDs invevitably will undertake when the Commission repacks the broadcast spectrum after the incentive auction. The report indicated while certain modifications might be completed in less than a year, a complicated modification, such as one involving broadcast from Sutro Tower in California, would take approximately 41 months assuming there were no glitches.
Then there is the question about “how much will cost” each station. Estimates range from $500,000 to $3 million per station. Not to worry though the Commission plans to have the $1.75 billion repacking fund available which would allow the FCC to pay the full repacking costs for more than 500 stations.
As usual only time will tell how is works out…..
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July 14th – 18th are the dates for next Radio Broadcast Engineering class at the Academy and the Television Broadcast Engineering class running Sept 8th – 12th. Click here for info and online registration. Also mark your calendars for the “Engineering Day” during the ABA Summer Convention August 16th. Topic this year will be “Audio/Video over IP”.
Classes are held at the ABA training center 2180 Parkway Lake Drive, Hoover AL.
Larry Wilkins CPBE®
Alabama Broadcasters Association
334-303-2525
