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SALT LAKE CITY AND ITS BREATHTAKING SKYLINE IS THE LOCATION FOR THE NATIONAL TRANSLATOR ASSOCIATION MEETING
NTA ANNUAL CONFAB ATTRACTS WIDE RANGE OF INDUSTRY PLAYERS
WHILE THE FOCUS IN SALT LAKE CITY IS PRIMARILY ON THE TV TRANSLATOR O&O AND INDIE TRANSLATOR GROUPS, MAJOR LPTV OWNERS ALSO ATTEND TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM KEY FCC OFFICIALS
20 EXHIBITORS INCLUDE NEW LINES OF RF TRANSMITTERS AND ANTENNA'S & T-MOBILE
A PACKED PRESENTATION ROOM AT THE SALT LAKE CITY SHERATON
FCC DEPUTY VIDEO DIVISION CHIEF, HOSSEIN HASHEMZADEH HAD A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE REPACK PROCESS, THE DISPLACEMENT FILING WINDOW, AND POTENTIAL FUTURE FCC RULE MAKINGS. HE MADE SOME BREAKING NEWS IN THE PRESENTATION WHICH WE DETAIL BELOW.
A FEW OF THE KEY POINTS
AND SOME BREAKING NEWS!
> IF YOU ARE DISPLACED, AND FILE AN APPLICATION FOR A NEW CHANNEL, AND YOU ARE MX'D (MUTUAL DISPLACEMENT, IE, TWO OR MORE COMPETING FOR THE SAME CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT), YOU CAN AMEND YOU APPLICATION FOR A NEW CHANNEL WITHIN THE WINDOW.
> BUT IF YOU ARE STILL MX'D, THEN YOU MAY CHANGE CHANNELS YOU ARE APPLYING FOR WITHIN THE SUBSEQUENT "SETTLEMENT WINDOW". THIS IS THE SAME FOR A RECENT FCC FM WINDOW, AND IS A MAJOR PROCESS CONCESSION FOR LPTV AND TV TRANSLATORS
> ANOTHER POINT IS THAT ONLY ONE DISPLACEMENT APP MAY BE FILED, AND IT HAS TO BE FOR THE LICENSED FACILITY YOU HAVE. IF YOU HAVE AN ANALOG AND DIGITAL COMPANION CHANNEL, AND BOTH ARE DISPLACED, YOU MAY ONLY FILE ON DISPLACEMENT APP. THEN AGAIN, WHICH ONE YOU CAN FILE FOR WILL TAKE A DISCUSSION WITH THE FCC.
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THERE ARE STILL 700 TO 800 NEW CONSTRUCTION PERMITS WHICH ARE STILL VALID UNTIL 2021. AND THERE SEEMS TO BE AS MANY AS 800 PENDING APP'S FROM 2009 WHICH WERE CAUGHT IN LIMBO LAND WHEN THE 18 MONTH WINDOW WAS FROZEN WITHOUT A PUBLIC NOTICE. JUST WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THESE APPs IS STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION.
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AS OF TODAY, ABOUT 1400 DISPLACEMENT APPS HAVE BEEN FILED (SEE OUR COVERAGE). BUT WHILE THIS SEEMS LIKE A LOT, THE ESTIMATE IS THAT MANY MORE WILL BE FILED. AND THIS IS A POTENTIAL BIG PROBLEM FOR MANY MAJOR URBAN LPTV. OUR OWN BIG WORRY NOW IS THAT IN THESE TIGHT URBAN MARKETS, THERE WILL BE MANY LATE FILINGS WHICH "STEP ON" OTHER CHANNEL FILINGS.
> AFTER TAKING SOME TIME TO DO THE MATH, THE FCC WILL THEN OPEN A "SETTLEMENT WINDOW" FOR THE MX'D CHANNELS. AND THEN A DRWAN OUT LEGAL PROCESS WILLL HAPPEN UNLESS ONE OF THE PARTIES GOES AFTER ANOTHER CHANNEL. IT WOULD BE GOOD IF THE FCC COULD ISSUE A "SINGLETON LIST" OF WHO GOT WHICH CHANNEL, BUT INSTEAD THEY WILL ISSUE THE MX LIST.
MORE DETAILS ON ALL OF THIS NEXT WEEK.
> AND THEN AFTER THE SETTLEMENT WINDOW, THERE WILL BE THE LIFTING OF THE FILING FREEZE ON NEW THE 1000s OF NEW CONSTRUCTION PERMITS AND OTHER PENDING FILINGS. THIS WILL BE A COMPETITIVE FILING, FIRST IN WINS, AND WILL PIT EVERYONE AGAINST EVERYONE.
> ANOTHER INTERESTING NEW POINT OF REFERENCE IS THAT THE "DRT'S", THE DIGITAL REPLACEMENT TRANSLATORS WHICH THE PRIMARIES HAVE, AND MAY APPLY FOR, COULD REACH TO 100. NOW WHILE NOT 1000s, IF 100 DRT'S IN MAJOR MARKETS ARE REISSUED, WE THEN HAVE A PROBLEM FOR SURE, AS THESE DRT'S HAVE A PRIORITY OVER LPTV.
> AND JUST TO MAKE SURE YOU ALL HAVE THIS LINK TO THE RABBITEAR.INFO SITE WHICH LISTS EACH FCC BUSINESS FILING DAY THE DISPLACEMENT APPS. DISPLACEMENT APP LIST
> YOUR COALITION ALSO SPRUNG INTO ACTION TODAY AND REQUESTED THAT THE FCC PROVIDE REPORTING ON THE DRT FILINGS. WE DID THIS SO THAT LICENSEES AND CONSULTING ENGINEERS WOULD HAVE THAT DATA BEFORE THEY GO INTO THE TIME CONSUMING AND EXPENSIVE PROCESS OF HAVING TO REFILE. BUT RATHER THAN THE FCC DO THIS REPORTING, THE SAME RABBITEARS.INFO SITE COMPILED TODAY THE DRT FILINGS. CHECK THIS OUT FOLKS, AND RECHECK THOSE URBAN FILINGS AGAINST IT.
(L-R) FCC DEPUTY VIDEO DIVISION CHIEF, HOSSEIN HASHEMZADEH, CONSULTING ENGINEER GREGORY BEST, AND COMMUNICATIONS COUNSELS PETER TANNENWALD & KATHLEEN VICTORY DISCUSSED THE REPACK, THE DISPLACEMENT FILING WINDOW, AND THE "VISIBILITY OF THE DATA", WHICH THIS COALITION HAS HAD AS A FOUNDING PRINCIPLE.
T-MOBILE WALKS ITS' TALK
MARK BISHOP, SENIOR MANAGER, ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT, T-MOBILE
MARK DELIVERED A FACT-FILLED PRESENTATION ABOUT HOW T-MOBILE IS WORKING WITH BROADCASTERS OF ALL SIZES TO GET THE REPACK DONE ON THEIR DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE. HECK, THEY SPENT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON LPTV AND TRANSLATOR SPECTRUM, SO THEY WANT ACCESS TO IT. WON'T YOU? NOW, T-MO HAS BEEN VERY RESPONSIVE TO OUT INDUSTRY, RIGHT FROM THE FIRST REPORTING WE DID ON WHAT WE COINED AS "PHASE ZERO".
IT REALLY IS A HOOT TO HEAR PEOPLE USE THAT TERM AND TO KNOW THAT YOUR COLLECTIVE COALITION FUNDING DID THAT RESEARCH, DID THAT ADVOCACY, AND GOT T-MO TO PROVIDE REIMBURSEMENTS FOR ANY 2ND MOVES OF PHASE ZERO DISPLACEMENTS!
ALL TV TRANSLATOR GROUPS NOW ELIGIBLE RELO FUNDS FROM T-MO NEED TO THANK YOUR LPTV AND TV TRANSLATOR COALITION MEMBERS!
WOW, OVER 1200 PHASE ZERO DISPLACEMENTS!!!!!!
> A KEY POINT WHICH MARK BISHOP MADE IS THAT T-MO IN AT THIS POINT IN THE PROCESS "FLEXIBLE" WITH ITS SCHEDULE. BUT AS IT MOVES CLOSER TO WIDE SPREAD BUILDOUT DURING THE REPACKS TRANSITION PHASES, IT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
> WE ASKED A QUESTION TO HIM ABOUT THE T-MO STRATEGY TO BUILD OUT TO IN THE MAJOR MARKETS, EXCEPT FOR THOSE URBAN MARKETS WHERE IT CAN CLEAR THE SPECTRUM EARLY BY WORKING WITH THE DISPLACED PRIMARIES.
> PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN T-MO CLEARS A MARKET WELL BEFORE THE OFFICIAL FCC PHASE, IT REALLY SCREWS UP THE LPTV IN THOSE MARKETS WHICH WERE EXPECTING TO MOVE MANY MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS LATER.
WE ALL NEED TO REMEMBER THAT LPTV AND TRANSLATORS ARE NOT GOVERNED BY THE TRANSITION PHASES, BUT MUST ADHERE TO WHEN THE AUCTION WINNERS ARE READY TO CLEAR THEIR MARKETS. IF YOU WANT MORE INFO FROM T-MO, OR NEED HELP WITH CLEARING, GETTING NEW EQUIPMENT, ETC., THEN HERE IS THE EMAIL ADDRESS TO SEND YOUR REQUEST:
Will check out the exhibitor vendors tomorrow, the presentations, and do some interviews for you all not here...
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