LATE BREAKING WED. AFTERNOON - TWO INCENTIVE AUCTIONS ITEMS ON THE JULY OPEN COMMISSIONERS MEETING HAVE BEEN CANCELLED UNTIL AUGUST MEETING. BUT DESIGNATED ENTITY RULE MAKING IS STILL ON FOR A VOTE THIS MORNING.
It is crazy time here in DC if you are involved with the Incentive Auction rule making process. The FCC evoked a rarely used procedural move called the
So, it is all now put off for three weeks...will keep you informed.
NEW COALITION RESEARCH UNVEILED
Earlier this week we met with the Incentive Auction Task Force to reveal startling new "city of license" research related to the various repacking scenarios. Did you know that the FCC's proposal (and
NPRM), which seeks authority to put unlicensed and wireless mic's ahead of licensed LPTV and translator in the repack order when only one or two TV channels are left in each community?
Read our letter to the FCC.
"The Coalition provided a new line of research related to the FCC's Vacant Channel rule making. The research uses TV Study at the city-of-license level (rather than a DMA level) to view the impacts to LPTV and TV translators from the Incentive Auction. What this new research shows is that these licensees currently are in operation in 2267 cities of license. They range from 1 to 20+ stations per city of license. "
"The Coalition urged the Incentive Auction Task Force that the Commission needs to be aware that if it takes the last one or two UHF channels in each market for shared use for unlicensed and wireless microphones, that it will potentially be eliminating 943 to 1300+ LPTV and TV translator stations. And, those will not be simple displacements to another available channel, but the total elimination of license opportunities in those cities of license.
Further, we discussed that with the aspiration of having a "balanced" approach to the new post-auction band plan, there needs more weight to be put on the existing licensed rights of LPTV and TV translators. And, that the interests of the unlicensed advocates are overly represented as evidenced by the amount of spectrum already allocated within each of the potential band plans."
"In these 11 band plans, each has the 18 MHz (3 UHF channels) that the unlicensed advocates have been asking for. It is only within the 84 MHz band plan which it does not. Since the FCC has not acknowledged completing an LPTV impact study or assessment, simply because it says it is not required by Congress to do so, and that it declines to use it discretion to do so, no projection as to the number of LPTV MHz will be allocated post Incentive Auction as per each of the 11 band plans. How can a "balance" be achieved if the FCC refuses to study the impacts of the Incentive Auction band plans on LPTV? It cannot, and this issue continues to be part of the larger pattern of Administrative Procedures Act abuse against LPTV and TV translators in this Proceeding."
"The advocates of unlicensed spectrum are worried,
and
they should be."
"...The public interest advocates conveyed widespread concern in the unlicensed spectrum community about the incentive auction team's recommendation to relocate broadcast stations in the Duplex Gap in certain key markets, including possibly Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Baltimore, among others. Exclusion of unlicensed devices in the Duplex Gap in these markets would deprive millions of Americans of the full benefits of unlicensed low-band spectrum availability in such "TV white spaces," including "next generation WiFi," by undermining the benefits identified in the 2014 Framework Order from providing a minimum of three channels for unlicensed sharing in every market..."
If you would like to be part of our collective effort to make sure LPTV and TV translators are treated fairly in the Incentive Auction and channel repacking JOIN US today!
