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Television Engineers take note!!!
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As the FCC continues to align items for the upcoming television auction, it was announce that the Commission has developed – and obtained OMB approval of – Form 2100, Schedule 381. That’s the form that will have to be completed and filed, at some point in the upcoming months, by (a) all full-power and Class A TV licensees entitled to mandatory protection in the upcoming incentive auction as well as (b) those with Commission-afforded discretionary protection. While normally engineers are not involved in fillings with the Commission…this one is different, because May 29 is the deadline for correcting any errors that (in the FCC’s words) licensees “may have made in providing [the Commission] their operating parameters”.
In a release by Fletcher Heald and Hildreth, for repack purposes the parameters set out in authorizations in the FCC’s databases as of May 29 will govern, even if the specs of a station’s actual operation don’t match up with those parameters. So if the database’s parameters inaccurately short-change a station somehow, the licensee should (a) figure that out ASAP and (b) take steps to get the databases corrected before May 29th. Basically you should check the station authorization in the FCC database, making sure there are no discrepancy between the FCC’s database entries and your actual authorizations. This includes correct tower coordinates, ERP/TPO, antenna information, etc. Engineers are encouraged to review the requirements. Larry Wilkins CPBE® |
