LAS VEGAS—Castanet Corp. has announced the launch of a commercial-ready hybrid ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast Internet pilot network in Las Vegas, during the 2026 NAB Show.

The deployment by Castanet and its spectrum partners follows an earlier pilot network in Silicon Valley announced with Major Market Broadcasting.

During the show, company also unveiled a live commercial-ready pilot network, opened its C5G Interactive Live Sports platform to the public and announced progress on its VoDoS wholesale satellite CDN consortium.

Building on its world-first demonstration of 5G Broadcast over ATSC 3.0 at NAB Show New York in October 2025, Castanet said the latest announcements represent measurable progress toward nationwide deployment of a scalable Broadcast Internet platform.

"The broadcast internet era is no longer theoretical. It is here," said Vern Fotheringham, founder and executive chairman of Castanet. "These milestones show the Castanet 5G Broadcast Internet is commercially viable, standards-compliant and ready to create new economics for broadcasters, content owners, sports organizations and the streaming industry."

The pilot network uses ATSC 3.0 as the transport layer for 5G Broadcast in alignment with current FCC regulations and industry standards. Castanet said the deployment demonstrates how LPTV spectrum can serve as a foundational asset in next-generation internet infrastructure.

Castanet said the pilot network showcases:

• High-quality streaming with no buffering across fixed and mobile devices
• Low-latency delivery for live content
• Performance independent of unicast congestion
• Lower cost per delivered bit at scale
• Delivery of live, on-demand and AI-generated content

The Las Vegas deployment also demonstrates how LPTV spectrum owners can transition from existing ATSC 1.0 operations into Castanet's hybrid ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast model without disrupting current service.

Castanet said its consortium of spectrum owners now includes licensees covering about 60% of the U.S. population, with additional expansion planned.

"The Castanet 5G Broadcast Internet provides a compliant path for LPTV stations to better monetize current ATSC 1.0 assets while transitioning into the future of hybrid broadcast internet services," Fotheringham said.

Castanet also announced that its C5G Interactive Live Sports platform is now open to the public after previously being demonstrated privately at NAB Show New York.

The platform is designed as a next-generation second-screen experience that transforms passive viewers into active participants. It delivers interactive, gamified and commerce-enabled content experiences to mobile phones and web users synchronized with live broadcast streams.

Kay platform features, according to Castanet, include:

• Real-time interactive content synchronized with live broadcasts
• Polls, predictions and gamified fan engagement
• Merchandise, ticketing and sponsorship integrations
• Cross-platform deployment using ATSC 1.0 today and 5G Broadcast in the future
• Broadcast-scale delivery to mobile devices and browsers

Castanet said the platform creates an immediate monetization path for broadcasters, sports teams, leagues and content owners using existing ATSC 1.0 infrastructure while providing a built-in upgrade path to Castanet's 5G Broadcast Internet network.

"Our engagement platform enables content owners to deliver next-level experiences that unlock new monetization opportunities," Fotheringham said. "The C5G Interactive Live Sports app demonstrates how second-screen experiences can deepen audience engagement while creating immediate value for spectrum holders."

Major Market Broadcasting and its flagship network, Diya TV, the nation's largest South Asian television network reaching more than 85 million viewers, plan to use the Castanet engagement platform to deliver interactive experiences to audiences nationwide. The company also plans to participate in the C5G Interactive Live Sports initiative.

"The Castanet engagement platform gives Diya TV a powerful new way to connect with our audience," said Deepti Dawar, chief operating officer of Diya TV. "This is what the future of diverse media looks like."

Castanet's third announcement was VoDoS, short for Video-on-Demand-over-Satellite, a multi-partner consortium designed to deliver one-to-many satellite CDN services for both direct-to-consumer and wholesale markets.

The platform combines national satellite distribution efficiency with lower-cost edge-cached storage to improve streaming economics, scalability and service quality.

Castanet said that VoDoS offers:

• Lower delivery costs through satellite multicast at scale
• Consistent quality independent of last-mile congestion
• Improved economics as audiences grow
• Online and offline DRM content protection
• Pre-positioned content in edge caches for faster delivery and usage intelligence

Initial target markets include mobile operators, cable companies, WISPs, satellite ISPs, OTT distributors, legacy direct-to-home providers and broadband companion services for NTN and IoT operators.

"The unicast model that has sustained the internet cannot keep pace with the economics or performance required by today's streaming demand," Fotheringham said. "VoDoS creates infrastructure that becomes more efficient as it scales."

The Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance has announced a series of sessions, including one with FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, that will take place during LPTV Day at the 2026 NAB Show on Monday April 20.

“LPTV Day at NAB is less than a week away — and this year, we're not just talking about the future of broadcasting, we're talking about the business of it,” said Lee Miller, executive director of ATBA in a statement. “The Business of LPTV Broadcasting" is this year's theme, and every session, every speaker, and every conversation on April 20 is built around one question: How do you make money as an LPTV broadcaster in 2026 and beyond? We've put together a day that brings real answers from real operators, technology providers, and direct engagement with FCC leadership on the issues that matter most to your bottom line.”

Registration is required and available here.

The full agenda and details about the sessions are available here.

WASHINGTON—During its December open meeting, the Federal Communications Commission voted to adopt rules for Low Power TV, TV Translator and Class A (LPTV Service) broadcasters that the agency said will give them additional regulatory clarity in how they use their licenses.

The updates are designed to reflect the changes in the broadcast industry since the LPTV Service was established more than forty years ago and to strengthen LPTV Service broadcasters’ ability to compete in local media markets.

The Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the updates in a Report & Order called “Amendment of the Commission’s Rules to Advance the LPTV, TV Translator and Class A Television Service”, MB Docket No. 24-148.

In a statement on the Report & Order, FCC Chair Brendan Carr noted that in 1982, the Commission created LPTV Service to bring local television to viewers who were “otherwise unserved or underserved” by full power television broadcasters.

While those stations are now an established component of the nation’s television system, delivering free, over-the-air, including locally produced programming, to millions of viewers in both rural and urban communities, “our LPTV Service rules have not been updated to keep pace with industry realities or to address regulatory uncertainties where they exist,” Carr said.

To address that, he said “today’s action modernizes the LPTV regulatory framework so licensees can make informed business decisions about their station operations, while ensuring the American people continue to benefit from their services. Among the actions taken to achieve this goal, the item streamlines and formalizes regulatory processes, takes steps to preserve existing and promote new service, establishes a level playing field by eliminating inconsistencies within our rules, and provides certainty for licensees by establishing clear rules of the road.”

“The rules we adopt will ensure that the LPTV Service continues to flourish and serve the public interest well into the future,” he concluded. “I look forward to seeing the positive results of this action and continuing to monitor the steps that broadcasters take to address the needs of local communities across the nation.”

The FCC described the specific features of the Report and Order as follows:

• Updates how relocation distances are calculated for displaced and channel sharing LPTV/TV translators stations.
• Establishes a uniform maximum relocation distance for all minor modification applications.
• Establishes a formal method for LPTV Service stations to specify a community of license.
• Requires stations in the LPTV Service to utilize a call sign that matches their service designation (existing LPTV/Class A call signs are grandfathered).
• Establishes a formal process for LPTV Service stations to change their service designation.
• Clarifies what EAS equipment must be installed by LPTV stations.
• Clarifies the video program responsibilities of LPTV/TV translators.
• Revises and expands the displacement rule to clearly enumerate the circumstances that qualify LPTV/TV translator stations for displacement and eliminate the displacement public notice period.
• Updates technical rules to help prevent interference.
• Removes obsolete rules.
• Permits LPTV/TV translator channel sharing stations to apply for their own channels.
• Declines to adopt new LPTV minimum operating hours; limit community of license changes; restrict service designation changes; or limit applicants' ability to round distance calculations.

More information is available here.

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for its Dec. 18 Open Commission Meeting that will include a vote on a report and order regarding LPTV rules.

In an item that the FCC is calling “Advancement of the Low Power Television, TV Translator and Class A Television Service,” the commission will consider a Report and Order amending its rules to provide regulatory certainty and clarity to LPTV broadcasters and reflect changes in the broadcast industry since the establishment of the LPTV service. (MB Docket No. 24-148)

The full public draft of the document, which may change before the December vote, is available here.

It will also take up two additional items at the December meeting. The FCC described those items as follows:

• Updating Rules to Curb Robocallers' Access to Phone Numbers—The Commission will consider a Third Report and Order and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to strengthen and modernize the Commission's requirements that all providers of Voice over Internet Protocol service must meet to maintain direct access to telephone numbers and protect consumers from illegal robocalling. The Commission would seek comment on ways to further bolster numbering resource protections as bad actors continue to seek new and creative methods for exploiting consumers and causing harm. (WC Docket Nos. 13-97, 07-243, 20-67)
• Delete, Delete, Delete—The commission will consider a Direct Final Rule that would continue its efforts to modernize its regulatory framework by eliminating approximately 35 obsolete, outdated, and unnecessary rules from Parts 2, 15, and 18, totaling 11,970 words or approximately 25 pages of the Code of Federal Regulations. (GN Docket No. 25-133)

The Open Meeting is scheduled to commence at 10:30 a.m. ET in the Commission Meeting Room of the Federal Communications Commission, 45 L Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. Open Meetings are streamed live at www.fcc.gov/live.

WASHINGTON—After the previously announced schedule for lifting a freeze on major change applications and applications for new LPTV and TV translator stations was disrupted by the government shutdown, the Federal Communications Commission’s Media Bureau has issued a revised schedule.

Prior to the Sept. 3 public notice seeking to reopen these applications, applications for new LPTV stations had been frozen since 2010.

As part of the process for opening up those applications, the FCC said it will initially freeze certain applications. The agency said these freezes are necessary to provide a stable database for stations to prepare for the filing of major modification applications.

The FCC described the revised schedule as follows:

• Except for the revised dates announced below, all processes and procedures previously announced by the bureau pertaining to these filing opportunities remain the same.
• The freeze on major change applications implemented by the bureau on Sept. 3, remains in effect until it is lifted pursuant to the revised schedule set forth below.
• Dec. 11. Temporary application filing freeze implemented on all minor change applications (including displacement applications) for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations. Minor change applications filed once the freeze is imposed will be dismissed and need to be re-filed after the freeze is lifted.
• Dec. 18.Major modification filing freeze lifted to permit Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations to file major change applications, on a first come, first served basis. Facility relocations are limited to no more than 121.0 kilometers (km). Major change applications submitted during this filing opportunity must meet the 121.0 km distance limit and otherwise comply with the Commission’s part 73 and 74 rules. All other applications will be dismissed. Freeze lifted on all minor change applications (including displacement applications) for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations.
• Jan. 29, 2026. Temporary application filing freeze implemented for all major change applications for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations. Major change applications filed once the freeze is imposed will be dismissed and need to be re-filed after the freeze is lifted.
• March 12, 2026. Temporary application filing freeze for all minor change applications (including displacement applications) for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations. Minor change applications filed once the freeze is imposed will be dismissed and need to be re-filed after the freeze is lifted.
• March 19, 2026.Major modification filing freeze lifted, without limit or restriction, to permit the filing of Class A, LPTV and TV translator major change applications and acceptance of applications for new LPTV and TV translators stations. The acceptance of applications for new Class A stations has been limited by statute and therefore applications for new Class A stations will not be accepted during this filing opportunity.

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau has announced that the agency is initiating a phased process to lift the current freeze on major changes for Class A television, low power television (LPTV), and television (TV) translator stations, in its entirety, and as part of the same process permit the filing of applications for new LPTV and TV translator stations.

Applications for new LPTV stations have been frozen since 2010. The new Public Notice starts a process that will lift the freeze on LPTV applications, "opening the door for stations to file for new displacement relief and technical changes", according to the Advanced Television Broadcast Alliance, which represents LPTV stations.

As part of the process for opening up those applications, the FCC will initially freeze certain applications. The FCC said that these freezes are necessary in order to provide a stable database for stations to prepare for the filing of major modification applications.

In a Public Notice, the FCC highlighted the following dates for the phased process and the procedures that applicants must follow when filing during these opportunities:

• September 3, 2025. Temporary application filing freeze for all major change 11:59 p.m. ETapplications for Class A, LPTV, and TV Translator stations.
• October 15, 2025. Temporary application filing freeze for all minor change 6:00 p.m. ETapplications (including displacement applications) for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations.
• October 22, 2025. Expanded opportunity for Class A, LPTV, and TV 12:01 a.m. ETtranslator stations to file major change applications, with relocations limited to no more than 121.0 kilometers (km). Freeze on all minor change applications (including displacement applications) for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations is also lifted.
• December 3, 2025. Temporary application filing freeze for all major change 6:00 p.m. ETapplications for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations.
• January 14, 2026. Temporary application filing freeze for all minor change 6:00 p.m. ETapplications (including displacement applications) for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations.
• January 21, 2026. Resumption, without limit or restriction, of filing of 12:01 a.m. ETClass A, LPTV and TV translator major change applications and acceptance of applications for new LPTV and TV translators stations. Freeze on minor change applications (including displacement applications) for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations is also lifted.

The FCC also described four phases of the process.

Phase 1: Temporary Major and Minor Modification Filing Freezes

While most major modifications are currently frozen, in August 2024 the Bureau lifted its freeze on major modifications, with certain restrictions, in order to permit Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations to file for channel changes. Effective at 11:59 p.m. ET, on September 3, 2025, the Bureau reinstituted a freeze on all applications for major changes for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations. In addition, at 6:00 p.m. ET, October 15, 2025, the Bureau will institute a freeze on all minor change applications for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations and displacement applications for LPTV and TV translator stations.

The FCC said that these freezes are necessary in order to provide a stable database for stations to prepare for the filing of major modification applications.

Phase 2: Expanded Major Modification Filing Opportunity

The FCC said that In order to allow existing Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations to modify their facilities to better serve their viewers and adapt to market changes since application freezes were implemented on such changes, the agency will provide existing stations an opportunity to file major modification applications prior to new station applications.

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. ET, October 22, 2025, the the FCC said it will lift the major modification application filing freeze and accept, on a first-come, first-served basis, applications for all major changes to Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations including those that propose relocations of no more than 121.0 km from the station’s antenna reference coordinates. At 12:01 a.m. ET, October 22, 2025, the Bureau will also lift the temporary freeze on all minor modification and displacement applications.

The FCC said it was imposing a distance limit on major changes in order to ensure that existing stations are able to implement facility modifications that maximize service to their existing viewers and markets before its permits new station applications or moves by existing stations that practically amount to a new station.

Phase 3: Temporary Reinstitution of Major and Minor Application Filing Freezes

The FCC said that at 6:00 p.m. ET, December 3, 2025, all applications for major changes for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations will once again be frozen. At 6:00 p.m. ET, January 14, 2026, the Bureau will also institute a temporary freeze on all minor change applications for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations and displacement applications for LPTV and TV translator stations.

The FCC said these freezes are being reinstituted in order to provide a stable database for stations to prepare for the complete lifting of the freeze on major modification applications and for applicants to prepare for the opportunity to seek new stations.

Phase 4: Resumption of Minor and Major Modification Filings and Commencement of Filing For New LPTV and TV Translator Stations

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. ET, January 21, 2026, the FCC reported that it will lift the freezes and begin accepting, on a first-come, first-served basis, all major change and minor change applications (including displacement applications). At the same time, the agency will lift the freeze and begin accepting, on a first-come, first-served basis, applications for new LPTV and TV translator stations. The acceptance of applications for new Class A stations is limited by statute and therefore applications for new Class A stations will not be accepted during this filing opportunity, the agency explained.

The FCC said that these filings opportunities will remain available indefinitely unless the Commission determines that a new freeze is warranted. Applications filed during this opportunity may not propose facilities that would cause impermissible interference to other authorized full power, Class A, and LPTV/translator stations, including valid construction permits for same, and any earlier-filed application for new or modify facility including earlier-filed applications for minor change, the FCC stressed.

The FCC noted that the nationwide window for new LPTV and TV translator stations was initially set for January 25, 2010, but later postponed to July 26, 2010, and then postponed indefinitely. Because of this, the agency said that it believed it is appropriate to permit both unrestricted major modification applications and new station applications at the same time, just as would have been allowed should the new station opportunity have proceeded in 2010.

Details on the filing and processing procedures are available in the full Public Notice here.

WASHINGTON—The LPTV Broadcasters Association continues to oppose plans for a mandatory cutoff date and transition to Next TV/ATSC 3.0 in a new filing with the Federal Communications Commission that argues excessive costs of the transition may “prove unaffordable for many small stations, potentially forcing many smaller TV broadcasters to go out of business, further eroding truly free OTA TV.”

“LPTV licensees do not wish to be mandated to convert facilities to ATSC 3.0,” the filing concluded. “We strongly believe that TV broadcast facilities should be able to use any standard that best serves the public interest of their communities, be it ATSC 1.0, ATSC 3.0, or 5G Broadcast.”

The LPTVBA represents low power, translator, and Class A television broadcast station, that it says comprise approximately 75% of licensed television stations in the U.S.

In a August 22 filing with the FCC the group admitted that ATSC 3.0 is a major upgrade from the current standard in that it enables 4K resolution, better audio, mobile viewing, and targeted advertising.

But it also mandates “signal signing” to combat piracy. “Signal signing” requires broadcasters to obtain digital certificates, the LPTVBA said. The A3SA, formed by major networks like ABC, CBS, Fox, NBCUniversal, Univision, and the Pearl TV consortium administers this security ecosystem.

The filing complained that “the transition to ATSC 3.0 already imposes significant costs on broadcasters: new encoders, transmitters, and infrastructure can run $300,000 or more per site for even basic setups. But the A3SA/Eon certificates add an additional ongoing expense…For LPTV, these costs could be prohibitive.”

“LPTV operators have argued against mandatory transitions, insisting they should remain on ATSC 1.0 indefinitely to avoid financial ruin. A report from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) even suggests creating a fund to help `small broadcast stations’ cover costs, acknowledging the barrier. Without such support, if LPTV stations are mandated to operate in ATSC 3.0, many such LPTV stations may be forced to cease operations in the face of the prohibitive costs. This would diminish free OTA diversity and local coverage, leaving viewers with fewer local options and pushing them toward paid streaming or cable—ironically undermining ATSC 3.0's promise of enhanced free TV.”

The filing also highlighted “the vagueness around certification costs. “This lack of transparency allows proponents to tout ATSC 3.0's benefits—better quality, interactivity—without addressing how it financially burdens small players and enriches the large players with the licensing fees,” the group said. “This `under the radar’ approach masks the David-and- Goliath situation, with the majority of the major full power owners holding all the cards, and everyone else will have to pay to play. The very industry players seeking this mandate are the ones who stand to profit from it via all these licensing requirements.”

“Moreover, DRM enforcement has already sparked controversy, limiting choices among consumer devices and raising access barriers,” the filing concluded. “If LPTV stations can't afford to join, free OTA TV could become a relic, reserved for big broadcasters who encrypt content and prioritize monetization over universal access. If unaddressed, this could spell the "death" of free OTA TV as we know it. If LPTV stations go off the air, such closures would reduce local content, exacerbate the digital divide, and force viewers to pay for alternatives. To mitigate, the FCC should require full disclosure of certification costs, exempt LPTV from mandates, or establish subsidies. Without intervention, ATSC 3.0's promise may come at the expense of the very freedom it claims to enhance.”

the full filing is available here.

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission’s Media Bureau is seeking public comment on a Petition for Rulemaking from HC2 Broadcasting Holdings asking it to allow low-power television (LPTV) stations to use the 5G Broadcast transmission standard as an alternative to the currently authorized ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0.

HC2, which owns and operates more than 250 LPTV stations nationwide, filed the request March 28. Filings can be made at MB Docket No. 25-168.

As previously reported, HC2 Broadcasting is asking the FCC to approve the standard for LPTV stations so they could opt to move to an all-datacasting model.

HC2 last year asked the commission to allow two Connecticut LPTVs to conduct experimental 5G Broadcast transmissions. The FCC approved the first experimental 5G Broadcast station—Milachi Media’s WWOO-LD Boston—in 2023. HC2 has been working with XGN Networks, a startup led by CEO “SuperFrank” Copsidas, to allow broadcasters to adopt 5G Broadcast as a voluntary alternative to ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV, which was approved by the FCC in 2017 and is currently available to about 76% of U.S. TV households.

In seeking comment, the FCC noted that 5G Broadcast is a global standard approved by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an international standards-setting organization.

The technology allows an LPTV station to transmit a single 5G signal and be received by any compatible mobile device within its service area. The petition proposes that the 5G Broadcast standard be incorporated into the commission’s rules and authorized on a voluntary basis by LPTV stations. To the extent that an LPTV station may qualify for mandatory carriage, HC2 proposes that such stations would be ineligible for 5G Broadcast operations in order to minimize any potential burdens on MVPDs, the FCC said.

Comments are due June 2, while reply comments are due on July 1.

HC2 Broadcasting, a station group that advocates the adoption of 5G Broadcasting for the U.S. broadcasting industry, is asking the FCC to approve the standard for low power TV stations to move to potentially move to an all datacasting model.

The request comes a year after the group, which owns 131 LPTV/Class A stations and four full power stations, asked the commission to allow two Connecticut LPTVs conduct experimental broadcasts 5G Broadcasts. The FCC approved the first experimental 5G Broadcast station—Milachi Media's WWOO-LD in Boston in 2023.

HC2 has been working with XGN Networks, a start-up led by "SuperFrank" Copsidas to allow broadcasters to adopt 5G Broadcast as a voluntary alternative to ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV, which was approved by the FCC in 2017 and is currently available to about 76% of U.S. TV households.

5G Broadcasting is a direct to mobile platform that runs independently of any other service on a smartphone chip be it cell service, satellite, wifi, or Bluetooth. Advocates, including the “5G Broadcast Collective”—which includes HC2, Malachi Media and the LPTV Broadcasters Association—say broadcasters can deploy 5G Broadcast by replacing their current exciter with 5G Broadcast exciter with modulator and 5G core software, without impacting the station’s current transmitter and antenna.

Although 5G Broadcast has been approved by international standards bodies, the standard has not been approved for commercial use in the U.S. and there are no mobile devices on the market that can receive such 5G Broadcasts in this country.

Although HC2’s petition doesn’t ask the LPTV to abandon current rules that require them to broadcast at least one free-to-air standard definition (“SD”) signal, it does want the commission to explore a potential all video-free future.

(Read: "What is 5G Broadcast?")

“With the remaining capacity available for ancillary and supplementary services, the Commission should examine whether the time has come to allow all 6 MHz of LPTV spectrum to be exclusively devoted to datacasting without the need for a free-to-air signal, given the ubiquitous nature of 5G-capable devices.”

Datacasting is nothing new for U.S. broadcasters. PBS has partnered with public safety and educational organizations to test datacasting over ATSC 3.0 and commercial broadcasters such as Sinclair, Nexstar Scripps and Gray have teamed up to launch Edgebeam to use 3.0 for enterprise datacasting services.

Spectrum Efficiency
HC2 says it is petitioning the FCC for several reasons based on LPTV’s business model and the public interest.

“The technology allows an LPTV station to transmit a single 5G signal to its entire service area, which can be received by any compatible mobile device,” HC2 said. “5G Broadcast thus provides both the spectrum efficiency of the one-to-many structure of broadcast operations and access to compatible mobile devices on existing 5G networks. LPTV stations utilizing 5G Broadcast are poised to deliver numerous benefits across multiple services, including enhanced programming, datacasting, connectivity, and public safety."

HC2 added that adopting its proposal “would require very few rule modifications,” and that the rue changes are aimed at “authorizing its use by LPTV stations on a voluntary basis.”

It also said that LPTV broadcasters would continue to operate according to FCC rules.

"LPTV stations that voluntarily choose to operate in 5G Broadcast mode would be required to comply with all of the existing technical requirements for LPTV stations… including maximum power levels and emission requirements," adding that “because there is no proposed increase in power levels or in unwanted emissions, there is no greater potential for increased harmful interference to any other broadcast or non-broadcast users than there would be from LPTV stations using the ATSC 1.0 or ATSC 3.0 transmission standard.”

LPTVs are Different
HC2 also argued that the LPTV sector has been treated differently than full-power stations during the current transition to ATSC 3.0., and that because LPTV stations are not required to also carry 1.0 simulcasts, the industry is better positioned to experiment with 5G Broadcast.

“LPTV stations have been less engaged in the ATSC 3.0 conversion, and the majority of LPTV stations still operate in ATSC 1.0 mode,” the petition said. “Indeed, in recognition of the fact that LPTV stations are fundamentally different from full power TV stations when it comes to ATSC 3.0, the Commission specifically authorized LPTV stations to 'flash-cut' to ATSC 3.0 without being obligated to continue airing an ATSC 1.0 simulcast. Full power TV stations, in contrast, are subject to a burdensome ATSC 1.0 simulcasting requirement when they voluntarily elect to broadcast in ATSC 3.0.”

HC2 also said it was not asking for any mandates requiring consumer electronics manufacturers to make devices compatible with the standard.

“Importantly, unlike the recent petition requesting a hard transition date for converting TV stations from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0, this Petition would not impose any mandates on TV receiver manufacturers or require multichannel video programming distributors (“MVPDs”) to make any changes to their physical infrastructure,” they said.

HC2 argued that 5G Broadcast represents the next generation of television, contrasting it with ATSC 3.0’s approach.

“Like ATSC 3.0, 5G Broadcast transmissions eventually may be receivable on conventional television sets, depending on market conditions,” they said. “HC2 is not proposing that TV manufacturers be obligated to include 5G Broadcast-capability within their sets because the marketplace should decide that issue. Moreover, even though the concept of solely ‘in the home' TV viewing may now be considered quaint, the marketplace of TV 'receivers' in today’s world is now essentially anyone with a handheld compatible 5G device, in any location.”

It also called for the signals to be unencrypted and “freely available to any viewer with a compatible device or receiver, without the use of a decoder.”

HC2 says current tests have been very positive. “Preliminary results… confirm that 5G Broadcast reception from on-site trial receivers has been excellent, with strong signal reception as far as 20 or more miles away from the transmission site.”

HC2 said its proposal is consistent with FCC rules that require using spectrum that is most beneficial to the public interest and issued a challenge to opponents, quoting FCC rules that “[a]ny person or party (other than the Commission) who opposes a new technology or service proposed to be permitted under this chapter shall have the burden to demonstrate that such proposal is inconsistent with the public interest.”

Although FCC Chairman Brendon Carr is bullish on advancing 5G technologies, his position on "5G Broadcast" is less known. However, he has called for new spectrum auctions that could impact its future.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has introduced a new cost-efficient ATSC 3.0-ready platform that prepares its low-power TV transmission products for NextGen TV opportunities on the near horizon. The new platform, to be introduced at NAB Show 2025, is based on a high-efficiency modulator that provides the processing power required to optimize ATSC 3.0 power in GatesAir’s low-power UHF transmitters, including the award-winning PMTX-1 outdoor transmitter systems.

GatesAir developed the modulator based on new field-programmable integrated circuits (FPGA) that enabled a cost-efficient ATSC 3.0 solution across their entire low-power UHF product line, which also includes Maxiva UATK Ultra-Compact transmitter solutions and Maxiva UATK-OP high-efficiency UHF air-cooled DTV transmitters. The modulator’s software-defined architecture, based on GatesAir’s award-winning Maxiva XTE exciter for medium-to-high power transmitters, provides the added value of offering a field-upgradeable path from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0 broadcasting.

Now shipping, the availability of ATSC 3.0 modulation in all three Maxiva low-power UHF lines is ideal timing as more consultants begin working with broadcasters on ATSC 3.0 network planning designs, the company said. While most NextGen TV broadcasts today are delivered through lighthouse configurations that allow several broadcasters to share infrastructure and bandwidth from a central location, the next generation of ATSC 3.0 deployments will include more single-frequency network (SFN) designs that leverage multiple synchronized low-power transmitters across a broadcast market.

GatesAir’s low-power products are ideal for SFN designs that require several different transmitter designs, including Maxiva UATK Ultra-Compact and PMTX-1-UK outdoor transmitter systems that can be configured as low-power transmitters, translators/transposers, or gap fillers. This is especially true of the PMTX-1-UK, which can be mounted to a pole, tower structure or building structure in virtually any location thanks to its weatherproof enclosure, minimal circuitry and maintenance free architecture.

“Our new ATSC 3.0 platform offers the exacting technology required to effectively fill in gaps and extend market coverage in single-frequency networks and other ATSC3.0 network configurations,” said Raymond Miklius, Vice President of Technology, GatesAir. “Importantly, it extends the possibility of affordable ATSC 3.0 broadcasting across virtually all television budgets, including those operating in smaller markets or at lower power levels.”

The modulator is also viable for ISDB-Tb DTV systems — a benefit for Brazilian broadcasters who anticipate a transition to ATSC 3.0 in the recent approval of the Brazilian government, according to GateAir. Same as the ability to transition from ATSC 1.0, GatesAir’s software-defined solution enables a transition from ISDB-T to ATSC 3.0 – or from any other analog or digital TV standard.

GatesAir will demonstration the 1RU modulator and its ATSC 3.0 software within Maxiva low-power UHF transmitters at NAB Show 2025, taking place April 6-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. GatesAir exhibits at booth W2720 in the West Hall.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As the presidential race heats up in the hotly contested swing state of Wisconsin, PurpleTV has announced that it will launch an over-the-air (OTA) broadcast TV service focusing on politics. The service will be available starting June 27 on Channel 16.1 in the evenings on Roseland Broadcasting’s WWMW in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

At launch it will provide bite-sized videos and informational text covering politics to what the station is calling the "purple majority"—those who aren't, politically speaking, all red or all blue. 

Roseland had previously announced plans to launch a politically focused OTA service on its low power TV station when it changed the call letters of its Milwaukee station to WWMW. 

The channel will also be streamed on PurpleTV.com.

"Purple people want to get on with their lives. They want politicians to work together and compromise, they don't want angry performance artists," said PurpleTV's president, Matthew Davidge.

The company also stressed that PurbleTV will not offer a conventional TV watching experience. PurpleTV will look more like an internet feed or a social media stream and will be a place for viewers to perch during commercial breaks on other channels. Viewing is designed to be measured in seconds, not minutes. It will broadcast from 7pm to 11pm, Monday through Friday, during TV Primetime. 

In addition, PurpleTV will test the interactivity of QR codes to connect viewers to the channel. In addition to offering bite-sized political information, the channel will cover the nuts and bolts of politics, such as voter registration, down-ballot races, voter turnout, and more.

In launching the service, the station highlighted the high interest in politics in its coverage area. Wisconsin is a purple state, that has swung between supporting red and blue politicians. Donald Trump lost Wisconsin by 20,000 votes in the 2020 Presidential Election. Trump won the State by 23,000 votes in the 2016 Presidential Election. The margin of victory was less than 1% in both elections. 

Milwaukee also has, at 27%, one of the highest percentages of over-the-air (OTA) audiences in America as measured by the percentage of TV households. Channel 16 reaches 2.25 million people, so approximately 600,000 people will be able to view the channel. Milwaukee will also host the 2024 Republican National Convention from July 15th – 18th. 

"We are realistic about the channel's impact but if we can reach even a few thousand voters in Milwaukee it could make the difference," said Ken Switzer, director of marketing and communications. "The stakes are so high in the 2024 Presidential Election. Every vote will matter, especially in the purple states." 

Over-the-air (OTA) viewers need only an inexpensive TV antenna to watch PurpleTV for free, alongside ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, as well as Univision and Telemundo. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Federal Communications Commission has announced that it has launched a proceeding to update its rules relating to the Low Power Television Service, which includes Class A television, low power television (LPTV), and TV translator stations.

As previously reported the FCC announced in May its intention to initiate a proceeding to update the rules and reported that it would consider the matter at its June 6 open meeting. That item was, however, removed from the agenda at the last minute. 

In the new announcement, the FCC said that the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted on June 6 invites comment on whether LPTV stations affiliated with a top-four TV network should be required to comply with online public inspection file requirements that are similar to those that apply to full power and Class A TV stations as well as AM and FM stations.  

The item also proposes to require that all LPTV stations maintain records for public inspection and to update the list of political programming and political file rules applicable to LPTV stations.

The Notice also proposes revisions to other rules and policies affecting Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations, including clarifying the maximum distance that a station may move under the minor change rule and how distance is calculated for displaced stations.  

It also proposes requiring stations to specify a community of license that is located within their contour; defining minimum operating and video program requirements for LPTV stations; prohibiting operations above TV channel 36; clarifying and amending the Commission’s displacement rules for LPTV and TV translator stations; and proposing other technical and non-substantive rule changes.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The FCC Media Bureau has announced that all rules implementing the Low Power Protection Act (LPPA) are in effect and that the one-year window for qualified low power television (LPTV) stations to apply for Class A status will open on May 31, 2024 and close on May 30, 2025 (LPPA Window).   

Earlier, on December 12, 2023, the Commission released a Report and Order (Order) that adopted rules to implement the LPPA, which required the FCC to open a new filing window during which qualifying LPTV stations could apply for and receive Class A status that would protect LPTV stations from being bumped off-air by harmful interference. 

The rules adopted in the Order took effect on February 9, 2024, and sections 73.6030(c), 73.6030(d), 73.3580(c)(7), and the revisions to FCC Form 2100, Schedule F, which contain new or modified information collection requirements that required review by OMB,  were approved by OMB on May 7, 2024.   A notice announcing that these rules and other information collections were approved was published on May 31, 2024 in the Federal Register, and these rules and other information collections are effective, the FCC said.   

The FCC noted that applications in the LPPA Window can be filed electronically via the Commission’s Licensing and Management System (LMS) on FCC Form 2100, Schedule F  and applicants will be required to pay the requisite fee for an application for a “new license” for a Class A station ($425.00), the agency said.   

The FCC noted that in order to be eligible for Class A status under the LPPA, a qualified LPTV licensee must have complied with the eligibility requirements set forth in section 73.6030(b) of the Commission’s rules  and complete all required certifications in FCC Form 2100, Schedule F.  

A qualified LPTV licensee is required to submit, as part of its application, a statement concerning the station’s operating schedule during the 90 days preceding January 5, 2023 and a list of locally produced programs aired during that time period.   

The applicant may also submit, or may be requested by Commission staff to submit, other documentation to support its certification that the licensee meets the eligibility requirements for a Class A license under the LPPA. All stations afforded Class A status under the LPPA are reminded that they will be required to continue to comply with the service requirements applicable to Class A stations in order to maintain such status. 

Instructions for applying are available here.  

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Media Bureau has announced that beginning on August 20, 2024, Class A television, Low Power Television (LPTV), and TV translator stations will be permitted to file major change applications to change their existing channels.

The announcement ends a longstanding freeze on major modification applications that has been in place since 2010 and provides those stations with a notable opportunity to improve their service and resolve long-standing channel issues. 

“The current freeze will remain in place until further notice for all other major modifications and applications for new LPTV and TV translator stations,” the Media Bureau said. “This is our first step in the process of lifting the freeze that has been in place since 2010 restricting the filing of major modifications for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations and the filing of applications for new LPTV and TV translator stations.”

The Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance (ABTA) responded to the announcement with an email to members that said “as many of you [will] remember from our recent meeting with Barbara Kreisman, chief, Video Division, FCC Media Bureau, this policy change has been in the works for some time. Kreisman emphasized the importance of addressing viewer reception issues and improving television service quality and finishing up of the LPTV repack rebuilds. Her insights and leadership have been instrumental in shaping this new opportunity for our industry.”

The ABTA noted that the new policy allowing channel change applications will take effect on August 20, 2024 and is open to all Class A television, LPTV, and TV translator stations nationwide without geographic limitations but is only open to channel change applications. The current freeze will remain for other major modifications and applications for new LPTV and TV translator stations.

The applications will be on a first-come, first-serve basis and the FCC will “cut off” applications daily to determine mutual exclusivity, the ABTA said. The fee for major change applications is $4,755.00 for Class A stations and $865.00 for LPTV and TV translator stations.

Requests to move a facility greater than 30 miles are not permitted and remain subject to the existing freeze, the group said. 

The FCC Media Bureau also reported that “at a future date, the Bureau will announce by Public Notice plans and procedures to lift the freeze on all major changes to Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations (e.g., channel change, relocating transmitter sites greater than 30 miles or without contour overlap)  and resume first-come, first-serve applications for new LPTV and TV translator stations.  The opportunity for Class A, LPTV, and TV translator stations to change channels will remain available unless subsequently frozen by the Bureau.”

The full FCC document is available here.  

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the June Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 6, 2024 that will include votes on new regulations for LPTV and broadband cybersecurity.

(A separate story on the proposed LPTV regulations is available here.) 

The FCC described the items on the agenda as follows: 

• Amendment of the Commission’s Rules to Advance the Low Power Television, TV Translator and Class A Television Service – The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding updates and amendments to the Commission’s rules to address advances in the LPTV Service. (MB Docket Nos. 24-147, 24-148)
• Reporting on Border Gateway Protocol Risk Mitigation Progress – The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to increase the security of the information routed across the internet and promote national security by requiring broadband providers to report on their progress in addressing vulnerabilities in the Border Gateway Protocol.  (PS Docket Nos. 24-146; 22-90)
• Establishing a Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program – The Commission will consider a Report and Order that would establish the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program and provide up to $200 million in Universal Service Fund (USF) support available to eligible schools and libraries, over a three-year period, to defray the costs of eligible cybersecurity services and equipment and help the Commission evaluate the use of the USF to support these services and equipment.  (WC Docket No. 23-234)
• Letters of Credit for Recipients of High-Cost Competitive Bidding Support – The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would seek comment on changes to the rules for letters of credit required for recipients of high-cost support authorized through a competitive process.  (WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 18-143, 19-126, 24-144; AU Docket Nos. 17-182, 20-34; GN Docket No. 20-32)

The FCC publicly releases the draft text of each item expected to be considered at the next Open Commission Meeting.  One-page cover sheets are included in the public drafts to help summarize each item.  All these materials will be available on the FCC’s Open Meeting page: www.fcc.gov/openmeeting.  

The Open Meeting is scheduled to commence at 10:30 a.m. ET in the Commission Meeting Room of the Federal Communications Commission, 45 L Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.  While the Open Meeting is open to the public, the FCC headquarters building is not open access, and all guests must check in with and be screened by FCC security at the main entrance on L Street.  Attendees at the Open Meeting will not be required to have an appointment but must otherwise comply with protocols outlined at: https://www.fcc.gov/visit.  Open Meetings are streamed live at www.fcc.gov/live. 

The FCC has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would revise rules governing low power TV stations (LPTV) in a number of areas, including online public file requirements, and rules governing operations of Class A television (i.e. stations that operate at low power, like LPTV/TV translator stations, but are afforded primary interference protection status), LPTV, and TV translator stations.

The FCC also announced that it will vote on the NPRM, which would significantly increase the rules governing LPTV stations, at the June Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 6, 2024. 

In announcing that it was seeking public comment on the NPRM, the FCC noted that “the Commission created the LPTV Service in 1982 to bring local television service to viewers “otherwise unserved or underserved” by existing full power stations. Today, the LPTV Service is an established component of the nation’s television system, delivering free over-the-air TV service, including locally produced programming, to millions of viewers. The NPRM proposes changes to our rules and policies to ensure it continues to flourish and serve the public interest.”

More specifically the NPRM would seek comment on whether to require top-four network affiliated LPTV stations to comply with the same online public file (OPIF) requirements applicable to full power and Class A television stations, or alternatively whether OPIF requirements should be applied to LPTV stations that are among the top-four TV stations in each market based on the Nielsen ratings.

It also proposes to adopt procedures for LPTV stations to establish an OPIF, and it proposes to make public inspection and political broadcasting rules applicable to all LPTV stations.

In addition the NPRM proposes a number of technical and operational amendments to the FCC’s current rules relating to translators and other issues. 

Those technical and operational amendments would include a proposal to amend the method for calculating the maximum distance that a displaced or channel sharing station may move under the FCC displacement rule and clarify the maximum distance that Class A and LPTV/TV translator stations may move under our minor modification rule.

It would also require that Class A and LPTV/TV translator stations “specify a community of license within their station’s contour”; adopt minimum operating and defined minimum video program requirements for LPTV stations; require stations in the LPTV Service seek authority to change designation and maintain a call sign consistent with their class of service; specify requirements pertaining to emissions masks; prohibit LPTV/TV translator station operations above TV channel 36; and clarify the circumstances in which LPTV/TV translators stations are eligible for displacement.

The FCC noted that NPRM was being released as part of a “permit-but-disclose” proceeding. Any presentations or views on the subject expressed to the Commission or its staff, including by email, must be filed in MB Docket Nos. 24-147 and 24-148, which may be accessed via the Electronic Comment Filing System (https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/). 

The full NPRM can be found here. 

FM6 stations have until Jan. 29 to officially state their intention to continue service and to confirm their operational parameters to the FCC.

These stations are the low-power TV broadcasters that operate as radio stations on frequencies just below the FM band, a practice that earned them the nickname Franken FMs.

Last summer, the FCC ruled that 14 such stations in nine states can continue to provide these analog radio services. They essentially have been grandfathered in, resolving the longstanding regulatory issue.

Many of the stations are in or near major markets, so this outcome essentially means that several big U.S. cities now officially have one more FM station for the many consumers whose radios can pick up the frequencies.

The authorized stations are KBKF(LD), San Jose, Calif.; WMTO(LD), Norfolk, Va.; KXDP(LD), Denver; WTBS(LD), Atlanta; WRME(LD), Chicago; KZNO(LD), Big Bear Lake, Calif.; KEFM(LD), Sacramento; WEYS(LD), Miami; WDCN(LD), Fairfax, Va., near Washington, D.C.; KRPE(LD), San Diego; KGHD(LD), Las Vegas; WPGF(LD), Memphis; and WNYZ(LD), New York. 

The FCC also permitted WVOA(LD) in Westvale, N.Y., near Syracuse, to provide FM6 service subject to certain requirements. That FM6 went back on the air in December at 87.7 MHz.

The commission will not allow new FM6 entrants or the return of other legacy analog FM6 stations that ceased or never previously provided radio service. “Effective immediately, the bureau will not process STA extension requests filed by any FM6 LPTV stations … The bureau also will promptly dismiss any STA requests for new FM6 operations.”

The Media Bureau has set Jan. 29 as the deadline for the 14 stations to notify it of their intent to continue to provide FM6 service and to confirm their operational parameters.

The bureau said all FM6 LPTV stations with unexpired STAs or pending STA extensions will be considered in compliance with its rules as long as their operations adhere to the recent order. Once an operational notice is received, the bureau will add a notation to each LPTV station’s license to reflect that it is permitted to provide FM6 operations as an ancillary or supplementary service. 

These stations are required to maintain online public inspection files for their FM6 service. The FCC also reminded them that television stations that offer feeable ancillary or supplementary services are required to submit an annual report and pay a fee on the revenues from those services. If an FM6 LPTV station offers such services it must pay the fee. 

Details and instructions for the stations are outlined in the order (read it here).

This article originally appeared on TV Tech sister brand Radio World. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As expected, the Federal Communications Commission has voted to permit a limited number of low power television (LPTV) stations operating on TV channel 6 (TV6) to maintain their existing analog FM radio services (FM6 operations). 

The operations are only permitted on an ancillary or supplementary basis subject to specific operational rules and requirements.

The FM6 or so-called “Franken FM” stations have emerged as an interesting issue in the transition to NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 broadcasts, with the NAB and others backing the idea that some of these FM6 stations should be allowed to continue operations.

In July of 2022, the NAB filed comments with the FCC rejecting a proposal by NPR to repurpose some unused channel 6 spectrum for use as FM radio stations because that spectrum is playing an helpful role in the rollout of NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 services and because it allowed those stations to deliver addition services to communities. 

Following the July 20 vote, the NAB issued a statement applauding the action. 

In the July 20 vote at the FCC’s August open meeting, the Commission voted on a Report and Order relating to the issue. 

In the Order, the FCC noted that since the 1980s, some TV6 LPTV stations have provided listeners local radio programming that could be picked up at the bottom of the FM dial, specifically on 87.7 MHz and 87.75 MHz. 

Because the TV6 band is directly adjacent to the FM band, it is accessible using standard FM receivers. Listeners have tuned to existing FM6 LPTV stations for foreign language, religious and sports programming, and emergency and public information, in addition to programming to support underserved populations including native Spanish speakers and immigrants, the FCC reported. . 

The FCC also explained that following the July 2021 LPTV digital transition, newly digital LPTV stations operating on TV6 and providing this audio service were no longer able to reach their analog radio audience through their digital TV transmission.

After examining the issue, the Report and Order found that it is in the public interest to permit a limited group of 14 TV6 LPTV stations to continue to provide analog audio service if they can be operated on a non-interference basis.  

Preserving the long-time audio programming offered by these remaining stations aligns with the Commission’s core principles guiding the digital transition—minimizing service disruptions, the FCC said. 

The Order also adopts technical rules and requirements governing how FM6 LPTV stations will be permitted to continue to operate in order to prevent interference to their own digital TV operations and adjacent channel FM radio stations, preserve their free over-the-air TV service, and ensure their FM6 operations continue to serve the public interest. 

However, the FCC's Order declined to repurpose TV6 spectrum (82-88 MHz) for FM services in locations where it is not currently being used for television service. It also declined to amend current TV6 interference rules at this time.

In response to the Federal Communications Commission's approval of an order allowing existing channel 6 low power television stations to continue to provide analog FM radio service, NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt said: "NAB thanks the FCC and the Media Bureau staff for its fair and efficient resolution of the use of the TV channel 6 frequency band by low power TV stations to provide ancillary audio programming. The order adopted by the Commission today will protect channel 6 television operators while recognizing the audience built by existing FM6 stations. We support the FCC’s balanced approach that addresses long-standing questions surrounding this complex issue."

In the vote on the Report and Order (FCC 23-58),  Chairwoman Rosenworcel, Commissioners Carr, Starks, and Simington voted to approve it. 

Extensive coverage of the issue can be found at our sister publication Radio World and at TV Tech in a series of articles on the subject by James O’Neal.  

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The FCC has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comments on the rules it is proposing for the implementation of the Low Power Protection Act (LPPA), which was signed into law by President Biden in January.

U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.) introduced the Low Power Protection Act to strengthen spectrum rights for certain low power television (LPTV) stations. It requires the FCC to open a new filing window during which qualifying LPTV stations could apply for and receive Class A status that would protect LPTV stations from being bumped off-air by harmful interference. 

The law was praised by the NAB and the Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance, but had been criticized by the LPTV Broadcasters Association for putting excessive limits on the number of LPTV stations who could apply for Class A status.

In the Notice, the FCC noted that the LPPA sets forth eligibility criteria for stations seeking Class A and provides that the Commission “may approve” an application submitted by an LPTV station if the station meets certain eligibility criteria. Those include: 

• During the 90-day period preceding the date of enactment of the LPPA (i.e., between October 7, 2022 and January 5, 2023), the station satisfied the same requirements applicable to stations that qualified for Class A status under the CBPA, “including the requirements…with respect to locally produced programming;”  
• The station satisfies the requirements of 47 CFR § 73.6001(b)-(d) or any successor regulation; 
• The station demonstrates that it will not cause any interference as described in the CBPA;  
• During that same 90-day period, the station complied with the Commission’s requirements for LPTV stations;  and
• As of January 5, 2023, the station operated in a Designated Market Area with not more than 95,000 television households; 
• Finally, the LPPA requires that a station accorded Class A status must (1) be subject to the same license terms and renewal standards as a license for a full power television broadcast station (except as otherwise expressly provided in the LPPA) and (2) remain in compliance with paragraph (c)(2)(B) of the statute during the term of the license.   

In an analysis of the FCC filing, the general council of the LPTV Broadcasters Association noted that the FCC made a number of eligibility proposals for stations seeking to obtain Class A status:  

• Between October 7, 2022 and January 5, 2023, which is the “Eligibility Period”, the station (1) operated a minimum of 18 hours per day; (2) aired an average of 3 hours per week of locally-produced programming; and (3) was otherwise in compliance with the LPTV rules, explained Davina Sashkin, partner at Wilinson, Barker, Knauer, LLP in an email the LPTV Broadcasters Association sent to its members.
• Station causes no interference. 
• Station operates in a DMA of 95,000 households or fewer.
• TV translator stations would not be eligible because they cannot satisfy the “locally produced programming” criteria, based on an assumption that translators generally only rebroadcast programing that originates outside their primary station’s noise-limited contour
• Also ineligible: analog LPTV stations and LPTV stations which were silent for any of the Eligibility Period 
• Deviation from strict eligibility criteria will only be permitted for compelling circumstances (such as natural disaster).
• The applying station’s transmission facilities must have been located within the qualifying DMA on January 5, 2023. 
• Qualifying DMAs would be determined using Nielsen’s monthly Local TV Report, she concluded. 

Sashkin also noted that the applicant must certify that the three statutory criteria were met during the Eligibility Period; the applicant must submit documentation to substantiate its operating status and programming during the Eligibility Period; the applicant must demonstrate compliance with (a) existing digital Class A interference and LPTV protection rules, rather than obsolete analog rules referenced in the LPPA, (b) the proposed protection rules for digital full-power TV, and (c) land-mobile protection requirements; stations may only apply for existing, licensed facilities, not permitted facilities; local public notice will be required. 

The FCC also proposed some ongoing Licensing/Eligibility requirements, she noted. Those include a proposal to require stations that convert to Class A to continue to satisfy eligibility requirements forever, including staying in a DMA of not more than 95,000 households. 

Beyond that, the FCC was seeking comment in a number of areas, Saskin explained in an email to LPTV Broadcasters Association members. 

According to Saskin these include: 

• Whether applying stations must comply with full-power rules applicable to Class A stations, beginning from the submission date of the application to convert to Class A, Sashkin wrote.
• Whether applying stations must comply with all other Class A rules beginning from submission of application to convert to Class A. 
• What sort of documentation should be used to substantiate the operating and programming during the Eligibility Period?
• Whether the approach proposed to allow only rare deviation from the strict eligibility criteria is appropriate.
• What is the meaning of the word “operates” vis-a vis the DMA?
• Whether the FCC should adopt the Nielsen Local TV Report to determine DMAs, or an alternative system. 
• The FCC also seeks comment on the LPTV Broadcasters Association’s proposal to use Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and Rural Service Areas (RSAs) instead of DMAs. 
• Ongoing licensing/eligibility:
• Whether the FCC should require converted Class A stations to adhere to full power station rules going forward.
• Whether converted Class A stations be required to continue compliance with the original eligibility requirements.
• Whether the converted Class A station be required to remain in a DMA under 95,000 households, and what happens if the DMA changes (rather than the station moving)? 

 The full FCC filing is available here.  

The Federal Communications Commission has fined a low-power TV station $60,000 for palming off paid appearances as news appearances, violating the agency's sponsorship identification rules.

The FCC's Media Bureau entered into a consent decree earlier this month with Reynolds Media over segments in what was purported to be a news and public affairs program on Reynolds Media’s K26GS-D Harrison, Arkansas.

Broadcasters must disclose on-air the sponsors of any paid programming, but according to the FCC, various political candidates and spokespeople for commercial entities paid to be interviewed on the show were not identified as such.

"When broadcasters air paid-for programming without disclosing the program’s sponsor, they can mislead the public," the FCC said.

The FCC said that Reynolds sold ad packages in the show — Down on the Corner, subsequently renamed The Morning Show — which included candidate or spokesperson interviews. The show aired twice daily.

The FCC said the station even printed up a flyer that pitched candidates a $1,500 ad package that included a personal, live interview on the show. Some candidates took it up on the offer. Reynolds did not include any sponsorship ID. Reynolds charged spokespeople $30 per appearance to promote their entities or interview executives on the show, again without disclosing they were paid-for appearances.

“Reynolds conflated paid content with news, information, and public affairs programming,” the Media Bureau said. “In doing so, Reynolds misled the public.”

Reynolds is hardly the first station to run afoul of the FCC's sponsorship rules or which has pitched paid appearances on purported news and public affairs programs, from a Las Vegas full power planting a McDonald's coffee mug on an anchor desk, to a Chattanooga station that sold flattering “news” stories for $15,000 a pop. 

This article originally appeared on TV Tech sister brand Broadcasting & Cable. 

BOSTON—WCRN TV 31 Boston is reporting that it has launched the region’s first ATSC 3.0/Next Gen TV platform and is using it to deliver more personalized content and to offer encrypted broadcast datacasting services to businesses and first responders. 

NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 standard is IP based. That allows ATSC 3.0-capable TVs to act like web browsers and creates new opportunities to deliver more personalized content, the low power station noted. 

Using those capabilities, WCRN is initially using about half of its spectrum to offer four program channels to viewers in Boston: France 24, Retro TV, and Heartland TV, and Paranormal TV.  

To access these benefits, viewers will need an ATSC 3.0 receiver, now available on all new Sony TV models or through a set top box such as one made by Silicon Dust. 

The other half of its spectrum is being used for datacasting. 

“NextGen TV is only one tool in the ATSC 3.0 tool chest,” said WCRN’s CEO “SuperFrank” Copsidas. “With IP Protocol, broadcasters can now deliver public or encrypted video, audio (including radio stations), and datacasting. A broadcaster’s ATSC 3.0 signal can now be divided into different delivery pipes, each with a unique IP delivery protocol for a particular use. It is a new alternative with unique qualities for multiple encrypted data delivery services, depending on the end user’s needs, be it a first responder, remote learning, signage, or a delivery truck.”

The station said it is also working with partners to develop technologies and possible use cases for ATSC 3.0. 

On the technical side, Ateme, a global leader of video compression and delivery solutions, and Enensys Technologies are working together on a new product using WCRN for field testing, the station reported. 

WCRN is also working with Hudson, Mass.-based West Pond Technologies, the industry leader in broadcast datacasting to develop use cases for the ATSC 3.0 signal. Those include applications for first responders, education, transferring data to delivery vehicles and updating digital signage. 

“ We are excited to have this opportunity to partner with WCRN, field testing our innovative products and developing new uses in our home market of Boston,” said Steve Hastings, president of West Pond Technologies. 

The deployment also highlights growing interest in ATSC 3.0 by LPTV stations. 

Peter Saad, executive director of the LPTV (Local Power TV) Broadcasters’ Association, stated, “We are thrilled that WCRN in Boston is joining 10 other members of our Association in launching this cutting-edge technology.  The broadcast business is transitioning from a programming delivery platform to a data delivery service, given ATSC 3.0’s IP platform. With internet data demand expected to double every year for the next five years, UHF Spectrum is beachfront property and there is only a limited amount available. It is currently the most undervalued asset in the data delivery space.” 

TV Tech has been tracking all the deployments of NextGenTV/ATSC 3.0 around the country. 

As of summer 2022, ATSC 3.0 is available in 68 markets reaching half of all U.S. homes according to the FCC. The commission also noted that at least one full-power TV station has been licensed to provide ATSC 3.0 services in 54 DMAs.

The full list of deployments can be found here. 

ARK Multicasting has announced a collaboration with SpectraRep to deploy SpectraRep’s Educast service on the ARK Broadcast Internet Network of NextGen TV stations. The partnership is expected to spur further development of the use of ATSC 3.0 datacasting to provide distance learning services for K-12 and college students in rural communities who lack sufficient broadband access, the companies said. 

“We can help solve and even eliminate a major pain point for millions of K-12, college students, and teachers in rural America,” according to Josh Weiss, Co-Founder & CEO, Ark Multicasting. “This new hybrid broadcast-broadband technology is a complete gamechanger allowing a one-to-many reach which serves as an accretive augmentation to traditional Internet providers struggling with network congestion and last-mile connectivity.”

Carrying the EduCast educational datacasting solution to deliver classroom content on its ATSC 3.0 spectrum will allow ARK to reach millions of students on its network of LPTV stations across 39 states, according to the companies.

“The Covid-19 pandemic sent students and teachers home negatively impacting remote learners without access to adequate broadband,” said Mark O’Brien, President and CTO of SpectraRep. “We realized that we could use our technology with the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast Internet to solve problems in education such as homework gaps and equity much the same way we've supported public safety and law enforcement customers.”

With ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV on the ARK network along with SpectraRep’s EduCast, teachers can securely provide their assignments to students so they can study on their own time. It works seamlessly with whatever learning management system the teachers already use whether it is Google Classroom, Canvas, Blackboard, and others.  

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has issued a statement applauding the Senate Commerce Committee for passing the Low Power Protection Act out of committee. 

“NAB applauds the Senate Commerce Committee on passage of the Low Power Protection Act,” said NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “This legislation offers a long-overdue opportunity for low power television stations operating in the smallest and mostly rural markets to gain Class A status and ensure their continued service into the future. Providing important interference protections will allow these broadcasters to better serve their millions of viewers by hiring more journalists, investing in new equipment and transitioning to the ATSC 3.0 standard. America’s hometown broadcasters thank Sens. Blunt (MO) and Wyden (OR) for introducing this legislation and Sens. Klobuchar (MN) and Fischer (NE) for their support, and we support swift passage of the bill.”

U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.) introduced the Low Power Protection Act in December of 2021. 

 WASHINGTON D.C.—U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.) have introduced the Low Power Protection Act. The bill would strengthen spectrum rights for certain low power television (LPTV) stations, which fill important gaps in broadcast service, particularly in those rural communities outside the reach of a full power signal, the Senators said. 

“Local television stations play a unique and critical role in their communities, keeping viewers informed, entertained, and alerted in an emergency,” said Blunt. “The Low Power Protection Act would help ensure smaller stations, especially those in Missouri’s rural areas, are able to continue providing coverage that people depend on. I appreciate Senator Wyden’s partnership in this effort and the strong support the bill has received from local, state, and national broadcasters. I look forward to continuing to work together to advance the bill.”

“Low power television stations provide diverse, locally-oriented broadcasting in small communities across Oregon, especially in rural and remote areas of our state," said Wyden. "I’m proud to join my colleague Senator Blunt in introducing this common-sense, bipartisan bill to empower LPTV stations that serve their communities.”

LPTV stations usually provide locally-oriented or specialized service in their communities, the senators said. However, LPTV is currently considered a secondary broadcast service by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). As such, LPTV licensees are not granted protections from harmful interference or displacement, and must accept harmful interference or displacement from full power television stations.

In 1999, in an effort to protect LPTV stations from harmful interference or displacement during the transition from analog to digital broadcasting, Congress passed the Community Broadcaster Protection Act (CBPA). The law created the “Class A” station status, and opened a one-time filing window for stations to apply. CBPA directed that Class A licensees be subject to the same license terms and renewal standards as full power television licensees, and that Class A licensees be accorded primary status as television broadcasters as long as they continue to meet the requirements set forth in the statute.

Blunt and Wyden’s Low Power Protection Act would require the FCC to open a new filing window during which qualifying LPTV stations could apply for and receive Class A status. Class A status will protect LPTV stations from being bumped off-air by harmful interference. That, in turn, will help ensure they are able to continue providing local coverage, and allow them to better protect existing investment and incentivize further investment in their stations and communities, the Senators said. 

The bill has garnered support from numerous broadcast organizations and advocacy groups, including the LPTV Broadcasters Association, the NAB, the Missouri Association of Broadcasters, the Oregon Association of Broadcasters, the National Hispanic Media Coalition and Public Knowledge. 

“The LPTV Broadcasters Association is grateful to Senators Blunt and Wyden for introducing The Low Power Protection Act,” explained Frank Copsidas, founder and president, LPTV Broadcasters Association, which has “strongly endorses the bill. It is an essential, meaningful initiative to serve the public interest. The Act is cited as “The Low Power Protection Act” and a key word is ‘protection.’ Much attention has been given to encouraging support for local journalism and jobs, and protecting television stations for the viewers they serve. Secure, trusted local news and culturally diverse content is the foundation of the programming that our members uniquely broadcast on a daily basis. Simply stated, this bill allows LPTV stations to grow to the next level in serving the public interest with both protection of broadcast coverage area and the ability to secure crucial small business financing. The LPTV Broadcasters Association on behalf of its members around the country is committed to seeing this legislation be passed.”

The NAB also issued a statement saying it “applauds the introduction of the Low Power Protection Act, which would offer some community-oriented low power television stations a long-overdue opportunity to gain important interference protections. Millions of viewers across the country rely on LPTVs for local news, weather, community affairs and emergency information, particularly in rural areas and smaller markets. This legislation would ensure Americans’ access to these vital stations and provide assurance that their signals can remain on the air.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In response to the passage by the House of Representatives of the Build Back Better reconciliation package that includes provisions in the Local Journalism Sustainability Act, both the National Association of Broadcasters and the LPTV Broadcasters Association issued statements applauding the vote. 

“The Local Journalism Sustainability Act will provide meaningful incentives for local broadcast stations to hire and retain the newsgatherers who keep our communities informed, connected and engaged,” said NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith. “Local broadcast news is consistently ranked among the most trusted sources of news and information, and this bill would allow radio and television stations to employ additional journalists to report on the events, issues and emergencies affecting our nation.”

The LPTV Broadcasters Association also issued statements from Frank Copsidas, founder and president of the association and Michael Lees, executive director, supporting the passage. 

“We have actively supported the Local Journalism Sustainability Act from the beginning and the principle of investing to maintain and develop trusted local community news coverage,” said Lee. “The payroll tax credit should mean that is straightforward to implement, benefit from and track.”

The legislation must still be passed by the Senate. 

Introduced earlier this year by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), the Local Journalism Sustainability Act (LJSA) is currently sponsored by 16 senators, including Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Catherine Cortz Masto (D-NV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Edward Markey (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). 

The legislation would support local news production by television and radio broadcasters, as well as certain print and digital publications, by making a tax credit available for the hiring and retention of up to 1,500 local news journalists per company each year over five years.

A broadcaster would qualify by owning or operating a broadcast station and employing local news journalists who work no less than 30 hours per week engaging in activities related to developing and providing local news to the community. The local news journalist must also reside within 50 miles of the station’s local community.

STAMFORD, Conn.—The newly launched LPTV Broadcasters Association has come out in favor of the Local Journalist Sustainability Act, which would provide financial support for local journalism and has been endorsed by the NAB and a host of other organizations.   

The sponsors are Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Sen. Ron  Wyden (D-OR) in the Senate and Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) in the House. 

“We express our support as it will help many communities to preserve and realize their  continued, independent, journalistic voice,” stated Frank Copsidas, founder and CEO of the LPTV Broadcasters Association, which represents low power, translator and Class A TV Stations. “It will be critical to have tangible and easy to  understand resources such as the proposed tax credits for local advertisers and resources for hiring and/or keeping local broadcast journalists to ensure independent, local news voices.” 

Michael Lee, the Association’s executive director added that “It’s essential the LJSA legislation is  robust enough to make a difference. From Dickson – Tennessee to Grants Pass – Oregon to  Boise – Idaho and Prescott – Arizona – to name just a few LPTV member locations – we’ve  been sharing the legislation plans and purpose and have received an enthusiastic response. This legislation is surely a sensible investment in the all-important issue of local media trust and  transparency. Especially given other trending issues and opportunities of an ever-complex  security-aware communications landscape”. 

RAYMOND, Maine—Dielectric is revamping its production floor and workflow in response to the final stretch of the FCC’s TV spectrum auction and the Sept. 5, 2022, deadline for displaced LPTV, TV translator and FM stations to move to new frequencies, the company said.

While the company shipped nearly 1,100 high-power repack systems over the 12 phases of the repack affecting full-power stations, the needs of this constituency of broadcasters is somewhat different. A great deal of collaboration will take place on the front end among Dielectric, transmitter companies and tower owners to ensure the most cost-effective systems are deployed by LPTV stations, the company said.

With expediency as the goal, Dielectric has recalibrated its precision automatic pole machine, first commissioned for the repack of full-power stations. The machine is equipped with a Bridgeport head with an automated flex drill.

Driven by Dielectric’s CAD package, which includes the appropriate custom programming for each low-power antenna, the system ensures low-power antennas can be built faster than previously possible, it said.

“The poles range from 15 to 25 feet long for lower-power slot antennas, and fit into a series of saddles on the machine,” said Cory Edwards, director of OEM, distributor, and Southeast Asia sales at Dielectric.

“The CAD software, which automatically uploads once the design work is completed, tells the flex drill precisely where every slot and hole on the antenna should be located. We can finish an 8-bay antenna for an LPTV customer in less than an hour, compared to what previously took nearly a full business day, and antenna tuning times have improved by 50 percent, which means quicker deployments,” he said.

In recent months, Dielectric has used the machine and automated workflow to manufacturer nearly 60 Powerlite low-power TV antenna systems. The systems include those for “analog sunset” LPTV stations facing an early July deadline. Another 60 are in the works, and Dielectric expects up to 500 more in the coming months, he said.

The Powerlite Series, which serves broadcast requirements of 6kW or less, includes all required RF components in a single system, making it easier to meet the challenging deployment schedule facing LPTV stations, he added.

It ships with Dielectric antennas, transmission line, tunable filters and RF components. The company recently added a 5kW tunable filter to the series, helping Dielectric to meet specific transmitter power levels that have become more common in the LPTV repack project, he said.

See Dielectric at the 2021 NAB Show, Oct. 10-13, in LVCC booth C7215.

More information is available on the company’s website. 

STAMFORD, Conn.—A new, non-profit industry organization representing Low Power, Translator and Class A TV Stations has been formed, the LPTV Broadcasters Association.

The new group will be drawing its membership from station owners, brokers, law firms, consulting and engineering communities and will hold its inaugural reception at the 2021 NAB Show at The Westgate Las Vegas Resort on Sunday October 10th from 5pm to 7.30pm.

“The Association will continue to build on the legacy of Mike Gravino and work of the LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition/Next Gen TV Coalition,” explained “SuperFrank” Copsidas, founder and president of the LPTV Broadcasters Association. “With a successful track record of developing owned and operated LPTV and Class A stations, we have advisory expertise available to deliver growth. The LPTV advisory service also extends to building out broadcast stations to reach their maximum coverage and value. With its brokerage capabilities the Association will bring together both buyers and sellers of LPTV and Class A Television broadcast stations throughout the USA.” 

With an estimated 5,000 stations in cities and communities across every state, the new association plans to play a key role in communicating the scope and potential of LPTV to the financial community through outreach and PR and as well as being the collective voice on legislative and government related issues working alongside the NAB and with its own lobbyist resources, the group said. 

Michael Lee, former chairman and managing director of the International Advertising Association (IAA) and the LPTV Broadcasters Association’s new executive director explained that “the Association’s community position will be heard when there is a need for lobbying, or the impassioned promotion or defense of the industry. The Association intends to contribute towards, curate and articulate the ongoing rules, regulations and trending issues and opportunities of an increasingly complex security focused communications landscape. Working for our members is the world and contribution of The LPTV Broadcasters Association.”

Funding for the LPTV Broadcasters Association comes from membership dues, sponsors, and station brokerage.

For more information contact Michael Lee, executive director, LPTV Broadcasters Association at ml@lptvba.org.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—“High noon” is rapidly approaching for the low-power television stations and translators that have not already made the switch to digital broadcasting, with a hard deadline of July 13 having been set by the FCC.

LPTV/translator operators were exempted from the June 2009 mandate which required cessation of analog transmissions by all full-power stations, and were initially given until Sept. 1, 2015 to transition to digital. Some four months before that due date—in consideration of the spectrum auction and repacking moves being made by full-power stations—the commission extended the LPTV digital deadline to mid-summer of this year.

According to the latest FCC figures, there are some 1,985 low-power TV broadcasters (LPTVs) and 3,306 TV translators licensed to operate. This combined facility figure is far greater than the number of full-power stations that had to move away from analog transmissions more than a decade ago. However, as the time for either going digital or going dark is rapidly approaching, most of those in the industry involved with LPTV and translator conversions expressed optimism that the deadline will be met.

Staying Ahead of the Curve

ARK Multicasting is heavily involved in LPTV, owning or managing nearly 300 stations nationwide. CEO Josh Weiss, said the Dallas-based company committed to moving into a fully-digital environment early on.

“Our first digital construction permits were granted in 2006 and we began building those out by 2009,” he said. “Meeting the deadline will not be a problem for us. We still have around 30 stations that need to be converted, with most of these being rebuilt on a new channel due to the repack. They have been off the air for this reason and [will return as digital].”

Weiss noted that in most cases, the conversion wasn’t as simple as just replacing an exciter.

“We found that for our broadcast internet business plan, the power levels are going to change, so the transmitter is going to change, and the antennas may have to change,” he said. “We found that it’s perhaps better in some cases to rebuild on a different tower or change locations. The majority of our stations have, or are, being rebuilt with a new antenna, a new transmitter and a new exciter.”

A spokesperson for another broadcast group with a large number of LPTVs and translators in its holding reported that there should be no problem in meeting the low-power analog-to-digital deadline, as more than 95 percent of their transmission facilities have already been converted, with the remaining sites either ready to flash cut to digital prior to July 13 or permanently shut down. 

The spokesperson, who asked not to be identified, explained that the facilities being taken off the air were, in most cases, quite old and had outlived their usefulness as they are located in thinly populated areas that are now served by other signals after the latest full-power repack and maximization.

‘A Few Analog Stations Still Cooking Out There’

Lee Miller, the executive director of  the Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance, a trade association representing LPTVs, reports that in most cases, stations which are part of the group are in good shape to meet the FCC’s deadline. 

“For our members in general, this is not really a problem,” said Miller. “Although, there are still quite a few analog stations still cooking out there.”

Asked if the unreimbursed cost of digital conversion might be a factor in the decision by some operators to throw in the towel, Miller said that this shouldn’t have happened, as gains greatly outweigh the expenses

“Right now, just about the only people picking up analog stations are cable companies,” he said. “Most of our membership hasn’t complained about having to go digital. It’s really a shame to let a station go dark when there are other solutions. We’ve been helping members within our alliance find those solutions.”

Weiss added that with their move to digital, low-power stations can help pave the way for NextGen TV broadcasting.

“LPTVs have always been strong in community service by providing local programming,” he said. “The industry also has the ability to assist in making the transition to ATSC 3.0. Most analog stations are getting into situations where they can flash cut to ATSC 1.0 with equipment that can [later] be used for 3.0.”

With the shifting of some population centers, translators have become increasingly important in serving outlying viewers. John Terrill, president of the National Translator Association, says that overall, the march to take the nation’s voluminous number of low-power transmitters to digital has gone well, noting that only a relatively small number might be left behind.

“Most, but a very few, have converted to digital, and made the move on time,” said Terrill. “There are a few analog stations which have not converted, but they must do so by July 13 or turn it off. I don’t know how many stations were granted a construction permit and did not build.”

Terrill added that it was extremely important for LPTV and translator operators to check with the FCC to make sure that if they had converted to digital, the commission’s records reflected this. The LPTV/translator digital/analog status database is available for searches on a state-by-state basis through the FCC’s Licensing and Management System (LMS).

“Mark Colombo, the FCC’s associate chief of the Video Division, guaranteed at the NTA convention in May that stations indicated on the list as analog as of the July deadline will have their license cancelled,” said Terrill.

Consultants Report Relative Calm

The LPTV digital conversion initiative seems to be going well, judging from comments by individuals at several engineering consulting groups.

“I’ve only had one low-power client recently,” said Bill Meintel, partner and technical consultant at Meintel, Sgrignoli, & Wallace. “All the others have already made the transition.”

Meintel said that the majority of LPTV work was brought about by the recent full-power station repacking. “We’ve worked with dozens of LPTV stations that were displaced due to the repack, but a lot of these were already operating in digital before being displaced. I don’t really remember any analog operations, but there must have been some. We did a whole bunch of relocations.”

Erik Swanson, a broadcast engineer with Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers, is working with about a half dozen low-power clients, with severa operating a fairly large number of transmitters.

“They’re trying to meet the conversion deadline,” said Swanson, noting that owners were eligible for a six-month grace period beyond the July deadline if they’d applied to the FCC before its March 2021 deadline for extensions.

Swanson said he wasn’t aware of any common denominator in connection with stations that haven’t made the switch yet. “I would imagine in some cases that it has been that they just have not gotten around to this. Others are nursing analog along because some viewers haven’t switched over.” 

He was optimistic that all of the broadcasters he was working with would meet the deadline. “None have asked for help in terminating their licenses.”

Carl Gluck, a senior engineer at Carl T. Jones consulting firm, reported that he’s working with a number of clients that collectively operate a fairly large number of low-power and translator facilities, and is optimistic that none will fail to make the July deadline.

“The intention is that this is not going to happen,” said Gluck. “Our clients want to move on.” He reported that none of the low-power clients he’s assisting has considered surrendering their licenses. “Right now, it’s ‘get it on the air and make improvements later with a different antenna, higher power transmitter, or a greater antenna height.’”

Vendors: ‘All is Well’

Manufacturers of exciters, transmitters and other RF gear that may be needed for digital conversions report too that the most LPTV players apparently took the FCC’s mandate seriously and planned their digital conversions far enough in advance to meet the July deadline.

“We’ve been fairly active during the past six or more months in low-power projects,” said Joe Turbolski, vice president of sales and marketing at Hitachi-Comark. “But I’ve only seen a few last-minute requests.”

Graziano Casale, Broadcast & Media account manager at Rohde & Schwarz USA, also reported no eleventh-hour flurry of LPTV activity. “We have seen, starting in the beginning of 2021, an uptick of interest and new projects in the LPTV space, but not much last minute driven by the analog sunset.,” said Casale. “This is a clear sign that customers were prepared months in advance for the event and carefully made their decision and their plan accordingly.”

Nick VanHaaster, district sales manager at GatesAir, also reported the absence of any down-to-the-wire requests for gear. “The upward swing of interest started in April, with various stations making the request to convert by the summer,” he said. “Some of these requests came from stations that were already running digital on other translators, but had not yet managed to get a few smaller outlying areas converted.”

VanHaaster added that GatesAir was ready to assist procrastinators if the need should arise. “Since our manufacturing plant is local, we are able to deliver on many last-minute requests.”

So, be it either a flash cut to digital by the few remaining LPTV holdouts who intend to keep broadcasting, or a final push of the “off” button on July 13, the final chapter on U.S. analog TV broadcasting is about to end.

Franken FM Gets Stay Of Execution

Although U.S. analog television broadcasting is set to become extinct on July 13, the FCC is allowing one class of analog transmission to continue in TV spectrum after that date, at least temporarily. This is the somewhat controversial “Franken FM,” which uses the TV Ch. 6 (82-88 MHz) FM audio carrier (87.75 MHz) to transmit audio programming unrelated to the video being broadcast on that channel. The practice has been around for more than a decade, with these low-power FMs popping up in many areas where Ch. 6 wasn’t being occupied by a full-power station.

It was thought by many that the July moratorium on LPTV analog operations would spell the end for the Franken FMs, but the FCC has granted the operator of one Ch. 6 LPTV station (KBKF-LD) in San Jose, Calif. Special Temporary Authority (STA) to continue transmitting an analog FM carrier along with its ATSC 3.0 digital signal.

The STA, which was granted on June 4 and runs for six months, is conditional, allowing the station to operate in this hybrid digital/analog mode with the Commission being able to modify or terminate it in cases of inference to other licensed spectrum users or “for any other reason upon written notice.”

The operator of KBKF-LD, Venture Technologies Group, claims that such hybrid operation is permitted within the ATSC A/322 standard and is operating with its 3.0 signal occupying 5.509 MHz of the Ch. 6 six MHz bandwidth and that it had received no interference complaints after three months of transmitting in this hybrid fashion.

Under the terms of the STA, Venture is required to submit written reports at regular intervals delineating “any reports of interference to other licensed users” as well as any interference observed “between KBKF-LD’s audio and video services that in any way limits coverage of its video.” 

The STA also requires the station to provide “at least one stream of synchronized video and audio programming on the ATSC 3.0 portion of [its] spectrum on a full time (24x7) basis.” In addition, the station also has to demonstrate that its regular audio and video coverage is not impacted by operation in the hybrid digital/analog mode. 

At least one manufacturer of antennas and RF equipment, Jampro, is offering a combiner that accommodates such hybrid operations, the “FM Sidekick.” 

For additional information about “Franken FMs” and the July 13 sunsetting of analog TV broadcasting, see Randy Stein’s article—“ Time Running Out for FM6 Stations?” at TV Tech’s sister publication radioworld.com. 

WASHINGTON—The FCC Media Bureau has reminded low power television and TV translator stations of the approaching July 13 deadline to complete their digital transition. All analog TV transmission must cease by 11:59 p.m. local time on that date.

The requirement to end analog TV transmission stands regardless of whether the digital facilities of an LPTV or TV translator station are operational. Stations that have not completed their digital facilities as of the deadline must remain silent until construction is finished. These stations should file a request with the agency for authority to go silent, the Media Bureau said in a public notice.

The notice also instructed LPTV/translator stations experiencing delays completing their digital facility that they may request one final extension of no more than 180 days for their digital construction permit. An application for the extension must be filed no later than March 15 and must include an exhibit demonstrating that failure to meet the construction deadline is the result of circumstances that were unforeseeable or beyond the station’s control and that all steps to resolve the problem in an expeditious manner have been taken. No granted extension will exceed the July 13 deadline, the notice said.

The notice listed a variety of circumstances, such as delays in getting zoning approvals, inability to obtain equipment or financial hardship. It noted acceptable circumstances are not limited to these reasons.

LPTV/translator stations filing an extension request must include:

• An accounting of the steps taken to finish the construction. Dates for each step are required;
• A detailed description of the circumstances outside the station’s control preventing completion, with dates of each circumstance; and 
• A timeline plan of how and when the station expects to complete construction and begin digital operation 

If financial hardship is the reason, the station’s extension application must include: an itemized estimate of the cost of buildout; a detailed statement explaining why the station’s financial condition precludes the expenditure; a detailed accounting of the filer’s good-faith efforts to meet the deadline, including efforts to obtain financing and why those efforts failed; and an indication of when the applicant reasonably expects to complete construction, the notice said.

Any additional time to construct digital facilities after March 15 may only be sought under the agency’s “tolling” rule, which “provides that a construction permit may be tolled only for specific circumstances not under the licensee’s control,” such as an act of God, it said.

The bureau also reminded LPTV/translator stations of other related filing date recommendations and deadlines, including:

• May 1 recommendation for last-minute technical change applications or filings, such as those for a minor change or STA request
• July 13 filing deadline for Digital-to-Digital Replacement Translator applications 

The Media Bureau also reminded stations needing to suspend operations that they must not remain silent for more than 30 days without FCC authority. Those remaining silent for more than 10 days must notify the agency no later than the 10th day. The license of any station that remains silent for any consecutive 12-month period expires automatically. Under certain circumstances, the FCC may reinstate the license, the notice said.

For LPTV/translator stations with digital companion channels, completion of the transition requires either flash cutting their existing analog facility to digital or surrendering their analog channel and continuing to operate on their digital companion channel. The license of stations choosing to flash cut will be replaced by a new digital license and the permit or license for the digital companion will be cancelled, the bureau said.

The notice also reminded stations of their obligation to inform viewers of the impending termination of analog service.

The notice and detailed instructions on accessing the FCC’s Licensing and Management System (LMS) where pertinent applications and request forms can be found is available online.

Mike Gravino, managing director of the Next Gen TV Coalition, died May 30, succumbing to pancreatic cancer after entering hospice care.

Gravino, a champion of low-power television who advocated for the rights of the LPTV community in Washington, D.C., was influential in winning $150 million in repack funding for low-power operators.

In April 2019, Gravino announced the LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition, founded six years earlier, would be called the Next Gen TV Coalition, with a new mission set on “leveling the playing field” for independently owned and operated TV broadcast licensees. In March 2018 he formed Airwaves USA, an LPTV brokerage. 

Industry lobbyist Preston Padden tweeted May 29 that Gravino had entered a Washington-area hospice. 

Amy Brown, former executive director of SpectrumEvolution.org, in a LinkedIn post said Gravino died May 30 and noted he had “fought hard for our industry and people.”

“This one man gave so much for so many for years and we are better for it,” said John Terrill, president of the National Translator Association, adding that Gravino’s dedication to the LPTV industry “earned the respect of many, whether they agreed with him or not.”

Gravino drew praise from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai as a strong advocate “with an endearing charm” for the LPTV community, and FCC Commissioner Michael O’Reilly, who called him a “powerful force.” 

Doug Thompson, a regional sales manager at Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark, said Gravino “did what he thought was best for LPTV, and he worked tirelessly and often against the odds.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Low-power television stations and TV translators looking to be reimbursed for expenses associated with the FCC’s repack of television spectrum rejoice. The numbers, as of today, show you will be reimbursed for 100% of your eligible expenses.

That’s the preliminary assessment of Tony zumMallen, president of QComm, a Lee’s Summit, Mo. -based engineering, project management and installation vendor that is specializing in the repack.

“The maximum allocated by Congress for LPTV and TV translator stations has always been $150 million,” says zumMallen. “As of Feb. 19, the dollars potentially used for repack expenses is $138 million. If you divide that into $150 million, you’re at 100%.”

To arrive at this and other repack-related numbers, zumMallen’s company has regularly combed through the FCC’s License and Management System since Nov. 14, 2019, the deadline for LPTV and TV translators to submit documentation to prove expense reimbursement eligibility and request specific dollar amounts.

“We have been grabbing the data and the numbers people have submitted and tallying them up,” he says.

As of Feb. 19, QComm’s total shows that of the 925 reimbursement applications submitted by LPTV stations, the FCC has determined that 785 are eligible for reimbursement and 113 are not. The eligibility of 27 others has yet to be determined.

“That’s fantastic news, when everyone thought before the process started that expense reimbursement would probably be in the range of 50% to 70%,” he says.

Of course, zumMallen’s assessment comes with a few caveats. For instance, the process has not yet been completed, and requests must be reasonable. “They can’t be for a Ferrari. It has to be a transmitter,” he says with a laugh.

But he adds there is nothing funny about the seriousness of this process and the expense reimbursements for LPTV stations and TV translators, many of which are shoestring operations.

“So, mom and pops won’t have to come up with $100,000 or more,” he says. “Potentially, they will have to come up with nothing. Merry Christmas!”

Monitoring the reimbursement filings in the LMS has revealed a few other interesting facts. For example, the smallest amount requested is $872, while the largest is $2.2 million. QComm also has found that 600 stations account for about $75 million in reimbursement requests, he says.

The QComm president recommends that stations notified by the FCC of their ineligibility should continue to pursue reimbursement if given the opportunity to modify their showing.

“The FCC has been very good to work with on this,” he says. “If there is a question about what you submitted, you will receive an email from the FCC saying: ‘Based on the information you provided, we find you to be ineligible’ and here are the reasons why.”

Frequently the agency will give stations 10 days to provide the information requested, which could flip a filer from ineligible to eligible. “They basically spell it out for you. If you provide this information, they will find you eligible.”

The agency should be commended for the way it has worked with LPTV stations and TV translators on the reimbursement of repack expenses, he says.

“Our experience is they are not looking to find any and every way that you are ineligible. It’s the exact opposite,” says zumMallen. “We have worked with a lot of these television stations that are low power and translators, and we have not had a negative comment.”

Working with the station’s lawyer or consulting engineer could prove worthwhile if it means producing the documentation needed to qualify for reimbursement, he says.

“I wouldn’t just take the FCC’s email and say, ‘Oh, well, we’re not eligible,’” says zumMallen.

QComm can be reached via its website.

WASHINGTON—LPTV Channel 6 stations aren’t the monsters that NPR argued they were and should be allowed to remain operating on analog radio signals, says the Preserve Community Programming Coalition (PCPC) in a filing to the FCC.

The FCC Media Bureau had previously requested comments on whether analog LPTV stations should be able to continue to program an analog radio service on 87.7 FM after the final digital television conversion deadline, currently set for July 2021. NPR filed comments in which it said that these Franken FMs, as it referred to LPTV Channel 6 stations, caused “harmful interference to public radio stations operating in the immediately adjacent FM band.”

Now PCPC, a group of FM Channel 6 broadcasters, has submitted a filing of its own refuting NPR’s arguments, saying that “although many of these stations have been broadcasting analog audio carriers on 87.7 FM for more than a decade, the record does not include a single instance of actual, unresolved interference resulting from such operations. Furthermore, there is no dispute that the FCC can easily modify its rules to ensure that these existing services can continue after the digital transition.”

PCPC notes in its filing that NPR, a programmer, and the low power FM advocacy groups REC Networks and Common Frequency have been LPTV Channel 6 stations’ strongest opposition. It says only one full power FM licensee (California State University Long Beach Research Foundation and Educational Media Foundation) has commented, in which it says any concerns about interference to adjacent FM stations are unfounded or can be mitigated.

NPR also argued that the services provided by these LPTV stations don’t serve the public interest because the programming—sports, contemporary, religious and foreign-language broadcasts—are offered by other FM stations. 

“This is the equivalent of arguing that NPR-member station WNYC does not serve the public interest because it is one of five stations with news/talk format serving the New York area,” PCPC said. “Just as NPR-member stations provide unique programming and services to serve their communities in ways that other stations with similar formats do not, so too do analog channel 6 TV stations providing aural programming on 87.7 FM.”

PCPC believes that the FCC should authorize currently operating analog LPTV Channel 6 stations to continue transmissions at 87.7 MHz without interruption after the digital transition deadline passes.

The full filing can be found online. 

WASHINGTON—Insinuating a connection between Dr. Frankenstein’s monster, National Public Radio wants to see an end to low-power television Channel 6 stations from using analog FM radio services and has asked the FCC to refuse future authorization of such use of what are called “Franken FM” stations.

NPR filed its comments in response to the FCC Media Bureau’s request for feedback on whether analog LPTV stations should be able to continue to program an analog radio service—available on the FM dial (87.7)—after the final digital television conversion deadline.

NPR says that LPTVs’ use of radio airwaves can occupy 30x the spectrum a traditional FM station would use and would cause problems if permitted to continue to operate on analog.

“Franken FMs pose an ongoing threat of harmful interference to public radio stations operating in the immediately adjacent FM band reserved for noncommercial educational broadcast stations,” NPR’s comments to the FCC read. “Moreover, the grossly inefficient use of spectrum adjacent to the NCE reserved FM band ultimate prevents public radio stations from expanding their signal coverage or otherwise offering a multiplicity of additional public service programming for the American public.”

LPTVs believe that these concerns are exaggerated.

“There [are] currently over 20 LPTV stations transmitting analog audio carriers available on 87.7 FM, yet the LPTV-C is not aware of any outstanding (not resolved to satisfaction of the listener) complaints about actual interference between the audio signal transmitted by these analog LPTV stations and nearby FM stations on Channels 201 or 202,” the LPTV Group's Mike Gravino told the FCC. “However, if the commission chooses to be overly cautious, it can adopt both contour overlap restrictions and prohibitions on actual interference that would eliminate any theoretical risk of interference between 87.7 FM audio carrier and nearby NCE FM stations. In everyday, real-world operating conditions, the current or proposed expanded 87.7 FM services will not cause impermissible interference to other broadcast licensees in their markets.”

LPTVs also have argued that their stations benefit unserved or under-served audiences, though NPR counters that these stations typically offer country, contemporary, Spanish language, religious and sports programming, areas that it says are well served by FM radio stations.

This can all be traced back to the digital conversion of 2009. At that time, full power stations were required to go all digital, but the FCC allowed LPTVs to continue to broadcast in analog until 12 months after the completion of the post-incentive auction repack. The auction is currently scheduled to be completed on July 3, 2020, giving LPTVs until July 3, 2021, to switch completely to digital.

NPR, in its argument, says that its position of ending operation of Franken FMs is supported by the Communications Act, FCC regulations and federal communications and spectrum policy. If LPTVs were allowed to continue Franken FM operations, “[the FCC] would have to develop additional rules to govern these Franken FM services to avoid interference to adjacent reserved band NCE FM stations and to assure reception of the LPTV’s primary video service by DTV receivers.”

NPR concludes the commission would better serve the public by reaffirming the DTV conversion deadline.

WASHINGTON—The FCC's Media Bureau is seeking comment on whether analog LPTV stations should be able to continue to program an analog radio service after the deadline to switch to digital.

While full power stations were required to go all digital in 2009, the FCC allowed LPTVs to continue to broadcast in analog until 12 months after the completion of the post-incentive auction repack, currently on track to meet its July 3, 2020, deadline, which means LPTVs would have to make the digital switch by July 3, 2021.

Some analog LPTVs (operating on ch. 6) use their spectrum to program an ancillary audio service available on the FM dial (87.76 MHz) and want to continue to be able to continue to deliver that analog signal after the mandatory transition to digital.

The commission has sought comment on the issue before, but citing the approaching deadline and "recent developments," said this week it wanted to refresh the record.

The FCC wants to know if its supplementary service rules mean that the ancillary analog service is OK even after the deadline, whether, in that case, the FCC could limit the number of such services—say, applying only to existing services—whether such rights could be transferred, or whether, alternatively, an analog service is not consistent with the designation of digital as being for the provision of "advanced television services."

Finally, if an analog audio service is consistent with that digital mandate, can the FCC subject it to the fee of 5% revenue currently levied on ancillary services.

The FCC is providing commenters 45 days to weigh in, with 30 days for initial comments and another 15 for replies.

This story was originally published on TVT's sister publication B&C.

WASHINGTON—The FCC Media Bureau announced the opening of a filing window to resolve the state of new rural digital LPTV stations left in a limbo created by the TV spectrum incentive auction and repack.

Qualifying new, rural LPTV stations have between now and Jan. 31, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. EDT to amend pending applications to specify a new channel between 2 and 36.

These stations originally filed to be licensed as new rural digital LPTV or translator stations after the Media Bureau began accepting applications for this service in 2009. However, the FCC froze those applications as the agency moved forward with the incentive auction and spectrum repack.

According to a Media Bureau public notice, “it is appropriate to give these applicants an opportunity to amend their applications to specify a new digital in core channel” now that the auction is completed.

To qualify to amend an application, applicants must have a pending application for a new digital LPTV/translator station displaced by the incentive auction and repack.

The bureau has set up three criteria to be considered “displaced,” one of which must be met to be eligible. They include:

• being subject to a displacement by a full-power or Class A TV station on the repacked TV band resulting from the incentive auction;
• having proposed a frequency repurposed for new, flexible use by a 600 MHz band wireless licensee; or
• having proposed a frequency that will be used as part of the 600 MHz guard band.

Besides amending applications to specify a new in core channel, applicants have the option to modify technical specifications submitted as part of the original application as long as the changes don’t include a relocation of a transmitter site more than 48 kilometers (29.825 miles) from the reference coordinates originally submitted, the bureau said.

Further, transmitting antenna site coordinates must be more than 121 kilometers (75 miles) from the reference coordinates of DMA 1-100 markets. (The north latitude and west longitude of each of these markets is provided in Appendix A of the notice.)

The bureau will treat the application amendments of qualifying stations, filed in compliance with the restrictions outlined in the notice, as “minor” amendments. The agency will not charge a fee to file an application amendment, the bureau said.

The Media Bureau also laid out procedures for how mutually exclusive applications will be resolved in the notice.

For more information on the repack, visit TV Technology's repack silo.

WASHINGTON—The FCC is giving low power TV stations and television translator stations an extra month to file applications to be reimbursed for expenses related to the channel repack.

After receiving requests from the LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition and the National Translator Association, the commission extended the deadline for filing Form 2100 Schedule 399 (Form 399) from Oct. 15 to Nov. 14; the deadline for FM stations remains Oct. 15. Congress allotted $150 million in reimbursements.

The LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition, applauded the move.

"A big thanks to the FCC for extending the filing deadline for relocation funding. It could assist many of the 1500+ eligible LPTV and TV translator licensees complete their funding requests in a more timely manner,” said Mike Gravino, coalition director. “The initial 60-day deadline was proving to be too quick a process, with many consulting engineers, legal counsel, and equipment vendors not having enough time to assist all that needed help in this unique process.

With an extra 30-days to file a much broader participation rate of those which are eligible should lead to a much better outcome for the industry,” Gravino added. “And since the LPTV and TV translator reimbursement process is not tied to the incentive auction timeline, this extension will not affect that timeline at all."

For more news and insight on the repack, visit TV Technology'srepack silo.

WASHINGTON—Now that the FCC has opened a 60-day filing window for LPTV, translator and FM broadcast stations impacted by the channel repack, the commission has announced that it will hold an informational webinar on Aug. 28 to answer filers’ questions.

Scheduled for 11 a.m.-noon Eastern Time, the webinar will be hosted by the Incentive Auction Task Force and the Media Bureau and will cover topics including:

• Filing FCC Form 2100, Schedule 399 (Reimbursement Form), including the certification demonstrating that an entity meets the eligibility criteria for reimbursement (Eligibility Certification);
• Providing estimates of reimbursement costs;
• Submitting invoices for actual expenses incurred;
• Overview of the allocation and payment processes and additional topics related to the reimbursement process

Attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions via email during the live webinar and a recording of the event will be available afterwards.

The broadcasters have until Oct. 15 to submit paperwork.

Visit this link to join the webinar.

For more news and insight on the repack, visit TV Technology'srepack silo.

WASHINGTON—The item in the Aug. 14 edition of the Federal Register might as easily have been labeled “Existential Threat Averted,” but instead it was called “Final rule; announcement of compliance date.”

But the former more aptly describes what publication of rules establishing a 60-day filing window for LPTV and TV translator stations to apply for reimbursement of TV spectrum repack-related expenses amounts to for many such stations, says Mike Gravino, director of the LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition.

“… [D]espite a movement to end the LPTV service, our industry has prevailed over those forces and is now poised with [a] new next gen TV standard to blaze the trail into the future, once again,” he says.

The newly opened window gives LPTV stations and TV translator stations displaced by the repack a way to apply for repack expense reimbursement from a $150 million fund Congress established in 2018 to address a segment of the TV industry overlooked when it initially authorized the TV spectrum auction.

“The opening of the filing window … for the Post Auction LPTV Displacement Funding, some $150 million in Congressional funding, is an historic step in keeping over 1,500 of the nations’ secondary TV stations in business and is most welcomed in many small and large communities across the country,” says Gravino.

The coalition director sees the filing window as the culmination of a process that has taken the FCC more than six years to complete.

The coalition of more than 300 LPTV and TV translator licensees is appreciative of “the careful attention to detail” the agency has paid to make sure “as many as possible LPTV and TV translator qualifying entities” have quick access to the reimbursement funds, he says.

Gravino also is urging displaced LPTV stations, in particular, to get busy with their expense reimbursement filings. As opposed to the TV translator community, most LPTV operators affected by the repack haven’t yet begun the preparatory steps, he says.

For more news and insight on the repack, visit TV Technology'srepack silo.

WASHINGTON--The FCC has cancelled a planned construction permit auction for low power and translator TV facilities affected by the channel repack.

The commission adopted rules that gave LPTV/Class A TV facilities that would be displaced by the repack until July 22, 2019 to enter into agreements that would resolve mutual exclusivity. On Friday, it announced that it had accepted and approved all dismissal requests or settlement proposals surrounding the issue.

LPTVs and Class A/translator stations are not protected in the channel repack, which is scheduled to be completed a year from now. 

"It is good to see that these displacements from the incentive auction repacking process have been resolved, and that the spectrum can be quickly put into productive use," said Mike Gravino of the Next Gen TV Coalition, an organization representing LPTV/Class A stations. "These are along with the 1,456 displacements filed, and the 1,390 which have been granted, and 66 pending. 

"The FCC's Video Division and Media Bureau have served the industry well with this efficient and user-friendly process," Gravino continued. "And along with the thousands of those not impacted by the auction or repack, the LPTV industry can say for sure it survived and has great potential going forward and into next gen TV. We trust this bodes well for the $150 million displacement fund process next fiscal year, as those funds need to be equitably distributed." 

For more information on the repack, visit TV Technology's repack silo.

This article has been updated. 

WASHINGTON—With spring comes the thawing of an FCC policy that had been in effect since 2014. The FCC’s Media Bureau has announced that starting on April 18, the filing freeze on displacement and digital companion channels for low power television and TV translators stations will be lifted.

In the public notice, the Media Bureau said that the freezes were initially put into place to preserve channels for the window for LPTV/translator stations displaced by the Incentive Auction to file displacement applications. Since the Special Displacement Window was completed on June 1, 2018, and the post-Window settlement opportunity on Jan. 10, 2019, the Media Bureau now deems it appropriate to life the filing freezes.

Interested parties may resume filing applications on a first-come, first-serve basis starting on April 18.

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission today adopted a Report & Order implementing Congress’s directive to expand reimbursements to cover the expenses of certain LPTV and TV translator stations as well as FM broadcasters affected by the agency’s TV spectrum repack.

The vote adopting a Report and Order fulfills the March 23, 2019, deadline set up by Congress in its 2018 Reimbursement Expansion Act (REA) that allocated additional funds to reimburse the eligible expenses of LPTV and TV translator stations, FM broadcasters as well as full power and Class A stations, MVPDs and set aside funds to educate consumers.

LPTV and TV translator stations must meet two eligibility requirements to receive repack-related expense reimbursement payments, including having filed an application with the FCC’ Special Displacement Window and obtaining a construction permit as well as being licensed and transmitting for at least nine of the 12 months prior to April 13, 2017.

The R&O also covers repack reimbursement expenses of full and low-power FM stations and FM translators, licensed and transmitting on April 13, 2017, that have facilities impacted by the TV spectrum repack.

Qualified expenses of FM stations include the cost of permanently relocating, temporarily or permanently modifying facilities or purchasing or modifying auxiliary facilities to maintain service while work on repacked TV stations proceeds.

The R&O also sets up a mechanism to reimburse these newly reimbursement-eligible broadcasters.

Responding to the vote, NAB EVP Communications expressed appreciation for the FCC staff’s expeditious work to implement REA. “Under a tight timeline, the staff worked incredibly hard to reach a balanced outcome that is as fair as possible given the challenges presented by the repack. We are committed to working with the Commission to ensure that tens of millions of viewers and listeners do not lose radio and TV service as the repack continues,” he said.

For all the latest news and insight on the repack, visit our repack silo.

WASHINGTON—Broadcasters can now remove one more item from their FCC to do list.

A posting in the Federal Register on February 8 made it official: Broadcasters no longer have to physically post and maintain copies of their licenses and other related information. It was back in late 2018 that the Federal Communications Commission formally adopted a Report and Order that eliminated the requirement that broadcasters post broadcast licenses at a physical location.

At the time, the commission said that the goal was to advance the commission’s efforts in modernizing media rules and removing unnecessary regulatory burdens.

The original decision to require the posting of broadcast licenses, which predated the establishment of the FCC, was most likely to ensure that information regarding station authorizations, ownership and contact information was available and accessible to the commission and public, the commission said.

Earlier rules also required all LPTV, translator and booster stations to post certain information—such as the station’s call sign, licensee contact info and location of station record—at the transmitter site. Although LPTV, translator and booster stations were not required to maintain public inspection files, they had to post contact information of key personnel. In its December 2018 ruling, the commission said it found “no continued need for broadcasters to separately identify a local representative or a custodian of station records and display such information.”

Myriad broadcasters were vocal in their assertion that such record keeping was no longer necessary. In written comments on the issue published in the ECFS database, commenters said information about broadcast licenses is now widely available online on numerous FCC databases. The commission also said that no commenter provided any justification for continuing to require broadcasters to post or maintain at specific locations a physical copy of their licenses, authorizations, or general or local contact information.

WASHINGTON—The FCC has fined the operators of a Kentucky low-power TV station $144,344 for transmitting without a license.

Vearl Pennington and Michael Williamson operated the station for years after the agency cancelled the station’s license, the FCC said. Pennington failed to renew the license for W10BM in Morehead, Ky., in 1998, and the Media Bureau cancelled the license in 2004 after failing to receive a response to its inquiry about whether a license renewal was filed in 1998.

Williamson later joined Pennington in operating the station despite the failure to have a license, the agency added.

Field agents from the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau warned the pair that operating the station without a license violated agency rules and the Communications Act, but they continued broadcasting.

In May 2017, the FCC adopted a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture and proposed the fine. On Jan. 28, it adopted the Forfeiture Order and released the order the next day. The pair have 30 days from the release of the order to make payment.

ALEXANDRIA, VA.—The Great TV Channel Auction and Repack is now underway, with television and FM radio broadcasters doing the necessary work to change frequency assignments and install new equipment. It is a lot of work, but progress is being made daily.

In addition to the repack project work now underway, the FCC is currently asking for comments about the repack process and reimbursement for affected Class A stations, low-power TV stations, translators and FM broadcasters; deadline is Oct. 26. In addition to the full-power repack, as many as 1,000 smaller stations are being moved in 10 phases, which will cause dislocation and incur some expenses for LPTVs and translators that were not protected in the repack. This also affects some FM stations colocated on TV towers.

In the event you’ve been lost in space for the past two years, the Channel Auction and Repack exists to shift TV broadcasters to VHF and lower-UHF channels, with the goal of freeing up spectrum for wireless services for mobile devices. A distant model was the BAS Relocation program from 2005 to 2010, which also had broadcasters giving up a slice of spectrum for the benefit of a cellphone company.

Since the process began in the spring of 2017 after a spectrum auction that yielded approximately $20 billion to the federal government, more than 120 full power and Class A television stations have moved off their pre-auction channels, according to Jean Kiddoo, chair of the FCC’s Incentive Auction Task Force.

“Approximately half of those stations chose to move before the first formal transition deadline,” she said. “The other half consists of stations that won incentive payments during the auction but elected to continue broadcasting by sharing a channel with another station, and have now implemented those channel-sharing agreements.”

NOW UNDERWAY

By the time you read this article, the first formal phase of the Channel Auction and Repack is now underway. Kiddoo said that the testing period for Phase 1 of the repack began Sept. 14 and ends Nov. 30. There are 82 full-power and Class A television stations scheduled to transition during Phase 1.

[Read: Transitioning To New Channels—Phase 1 Deadline Looms]

Obviously, re-assigning channels of TV broadcasters and radio stations is an expensive proposition, fraught with complex engineering challenges as well as concern about changes in propagation and coverage. Congress appropriated funds to pay for this work, and broadcasters have been receiving reimbursement.

“The initial reimbursement fund totaled $1.75 billion, and as of April 16, 2018, virtually all of that [$1.742 billion] has been allocated by the FCC,” Kiddoo said. “That represents 92.5-percent of total estimates for each station. “Stations have been able to draw down against their allocation by submitting invoices for eligible costs incurred since October 6, 2017.”

As for the remaining 7.5-percent of the projected costs and additional expenses, it appears to be on the way.

“Congress provided additional funding in the 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Act to reimburse reasonable costs incurred by full power and Class A broadcasters as well as previously-ineligible LPTV/TV translator and FM stations,” Kiddoo said. “The rulemaking to adopt rules and procedures to reimburse the latter is anticipated to be completed in the first quarter of 2019.”

How does this translate to the real world of actual broadcasters going through the repack work? Dale Scherbring, a regional director of engineering for Sinclair Broadcast Group and the company’s repack manager, said the project is keeping him busy.

“The Sinclair Broadcast Group’s engineering team has been working on 100 repacks for the company-owned stations and fulfilling contracts with our partner stations,” Scherbring said. “Phase 0 stations and one Phase 1 station have made the transition and are on the air.”

Phase 0 stations on the air include:

• WCHS (Charleston, W.Va.)
• WDSI (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
• WICD (Champaign, Ill.)
• WNUV (Baltimore, Md.)

The only Phase 1 station moved so far is KJZZ (Salt Lake City).

Scherbring said that the company’s Phase 1 stations currently in progress for repack work are:

• KBTV (Beaumont, Texas)
• KFDM (Beaumont, Texas)
• KMEG (Sioux City, Iowa)
• KPTH (Sioux City, Iowa)
• KMPH-CD (Fresno Calif.)
• KRXI (Reno, Nev.)
• WNWO (Toledo, Ohio)

“The remaining 88 stations are in various stages of equipment order, tower studies and overall planning,” he said.

MASSIVE SCOPE

There has been a lot of discussion about the massive scope of this project versus the relatively small size of the broadcast equipment manufacturing industry. In other words, would the manufacturers of transmitters, antennas and ancillary components be able to build high-quality and reliable equipment for the repack in the relatively short time frame for which the project is scheduled? Then, will there be sufficient crews to properly install it?

“The overall planning for our projects is showing no major issues,” Scherbring said. “The implementation of some projects is running into major weather delays for the tower crews, some vendor-delayed shipping issues, and in some cities major delays with local zoning permits.”

The NAB keeps its eye on the big picture across the country. Dennis Wharton, executive vice president of communications for the NAB, said that he is giving special attention to project timing—especially in the latter stages of the work.

“We remain concerned that the 39-month timeframe created by the FCC is simply insufficient to accommodate all the stations that have to be moved,” Wharton said. “It’s going to be especially difficult for stations in later phases that may not have already contracted for repack work. The tragic loss of four talented tall-tower workers reduced an already small pool of qualified tower dogs. In addition, the first couple phases have fairly long transition periods—132 days in the case of Phase 2. However, Phases 3 and beyond are very compressed—just 34 days in Phase 5—and any unexpected delays will affect scheduling like a stack of dominoes.”

Wharton also noted that many stations are linked with one or more other stations and cannot transition until those other stations have also transitioned. And due to cold weather and dangerous weather conditions, there are only so many months of the year that tower work is feasible in the northern states.

NEXT GEN TV

In the past couple of years, there has been a lot of discussion of ATSC 3.0 and Next Gen TV, and stations across the country are keeping this in mind now that repack work is upon them.

“I believe many stations being repacked will upgrade to equipment that can more easily transition to Next Gen TV,” Wharton said. “Some of this new equipment can move from the current standard to Next Gen TV transmission with the flip of a switch, so it does present an opportunity for stations to upgrade for the future.”

Sinclair Broadcast Group has been a avid proponent of ATSC 3.0, so the question came up as to what the company might be doing for the repack to prepare for an ATSC 3.0 future.

“Sinclair has maximized stations’ signal reach and included some vertical polarization elements in all the new antennas that are being purchased,” Scherbring said. “This will enhance ATSC 3.0 [operations], but the costs of these items are not reimbursable, so they are an extra cost to each station.”

STILL NOT CLEAR

There’s no question that the channel auction and repack is big—really big. In addition to the repack at full-power stations (which is fairly well known and documented), the FCC said that the number of affected low-power, translators and FM broadcasters is still not clear.

“We do not yet know how many FM or LPTV and translator stations will be affected by the repack,” the FCC’s Kiddoo said. “To date, construction permits for more than 1,500 of the roughly 2,100 LPTV/translator stations that filed applications in the special displacement window have been granted. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that the commission adopted in early August sought comment on eligibility requirements and reimbursement procedures for those FM and LPTV/translator stations that incur costs as a result of the repack.”

Therefore, it remains to be seen exactly what the costs and time schedule will be to complete all repack work. In the meantime, work is proceeding quickly across the country.

When asked if the repack was a good thing or just another regulatory nuisance, one broadcaster replied philosophically.

“We can all be armchair quarterbacks on Monday morning,” Sinclair’s Scherbring said. “These are the new rules we broadcasters must live with—we will make it happen.”

For all the latest news and insight on the repack, visit our repack silo.

WASHINGTON—The American Cable Association says MPVDs and full power and Class A TV stations should get priority access to $400 million in 2019 incentive auction relocation funds before FM radio stations or low powers and translators get a share.

The latter were initially not included in the fund, set up to compensate broadcasters and MVPDs for costs of the post-incentive auction repack, but Congress earlier this year made them part of the fund, directing funds for 2018 specifically to FMs ($50 million) and low powers and translators ($150 million), but was less clear about the 2019 funds.

In proposing a framework for allocating that money, the FCC noted the lack of specificity about the 2019 funds and asked whether it should prioritize MVPDs et al. before FMs and low powers. ACA says definitely.

ACA told the FCC in comments this week that it is certainly feasible that MVPDS, full powers and class A's may need all $400 million, and if that is the case, they should get it.

"It would be unfair, therefore, to permit others—including LPTV, TV translator, and FM stations—to access the funds appropriated for 2019 until all entities for whom the reimbursement fund was originally created are fully satisfied," ACA said.

[Read: NAB Urges FCC To Minimize Consumer Disruptions, Wait To Prioritize Repack Reimbursements]

ACA pointed out that while only 136 MVPDs have so far filed for reimbursement—many have to adjust their headends to receive stations being moved in the repack—"hundreds more" are expected to file for reimbursement over the next two years.

Congress has consistently prioritized reimbursement of MVPDs and full power and Class A stations over all others," ACA president and CEO Matthew M. Polka said of the filing.

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission should seek to minimize disruptions to TV viewers and FM radio listeners as it firms up how it will distribute the $1 billion additionally allocated by Congress to reimburse broadcasters for their channel relocation expenses, NAB said in comments filed Sept. 26 with the agency.

The comments, filed in reference to the FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on reimbursement of repack-associated expenses to LPTV, TV Translator and FM radio stations, also pointed out the agency has no reason at the moment to think the additional funds won’t cover the expenses of “all eligible entities”

A key point in the filing centers on how Congress apportioned funding in its Reimbursement Expansion Act (REA), which passed in March. Of the $1 billion, Congress apportioned $600 million for FY 2018 and $400 million for FY 2019. The law caps FY 2018 spending at $600 million but does not restrict how the $400 million FY 2019 funds are allocated.

“At the outset, the plain language of the REA includes no limitations on how to allocate FY 2019 funds, in stark contrast to the express limitations for FY 2018 funds,” NAB said in the filing. The association told the commission that the language of the act “confirms that FY 2019 funds may supplement the funding levels made available in 2018.”

The NPRM sought comment on whether or not, and if so, how, reimbursement payments from FY 2019 funds should be prioritized. NAB urged the FCC only to prioritize funding if the facts prove doing so is needed. That will only become clear once FM and LPTV stations submit their cost estimates, NAB said.

“The Commission presently has no reason to believe that the $1 billion Congress appropriated will prove inadequate to reimburse all eligible entities for expenses associated with repacking and a limited basis, if any, for guessing where shortfalls are likely to arise. The Commission may have sufficient funds available to reimburse all eligible entities for expenses incurred during repacking, meaning that any prioritization at this point could prove unnecessary,” NAB said.

The FCC has a statutory deadline of Mach 23, 2019, to put in place rules for reimbursing FM and LPTV stations. Shortly after that, FM and LPTV stations will submit their estimates, and TV stations and MVPDs will have provided updated information on their repack expenses. Only then will the agency know if there won’t be adequate funds, how big the shortfall will be and how to prioritize payments, the association said. “Waiting to see whether prioritizing reimbursement will be necessary is the most reasonable approach,” the filing said.

However, if the commission insists on prioritizing payments, NAB offered its desired approach. First, allocate funds as soon as possible to make sure FM stations receive 80 percent of actual or estimated costs and that at least $50 million specified in FY2018 funds is allocated to FM stations; second, fully reimburse full-power and Class A TV stations being involuntarily repacked; third –if funds are available—fully reimburse FM radio stations impacted in the repack; and fourth, “use remaining funds to reimburse displaced LPTV stations and translators for any costs exceeding $150 million [which Congress set aside to cover their relocation expenses].”

(A separate filing this week from the National Translator Association places the estimated relocation expenses of LPTV and TV Translator stations at about $77 million.)

The filing is available online. 

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

Comments will be due Sept. 26 and reply comments Oct. 26 on the FCC's proposed framework for reimbursing LPTVs, translators and FM broadcasters for their costs associated with the FCC's post-incentive auction repack.

Most of a thousand stations are being moved in 10 phases, which will cause dislocation and incur some expenses for LPTVs and translators who were not protected in the repack, and for some FM stations co-located on TV towers.

The FCC voted Aug. 2 on a proposed framework for handing out the $1 billion Congress has authorized to 1) pay for LPTV, translator and FM expenses related to the post-auction moves, and 2) provide additional money for full power and Class A's and MVPDs impacted by the auction and for a consumer education campaign.

According to the framework, and the FCC: "LPTV and TV translator stations are eligible for reimbursement if (1) they filed an application during the Commission’s Special Displacement Window and obtained a construction permit, and (2) were licensed and transmitting for at least nine of the twelve months prior to April 13, 2017, as required by the REA. It also tentatively concludes that both full power FM stations and FM translators that were licensed and transmitting on April 13, 2017, using the facilities affected by a repacked television station, are eligible for reimbursement. The NPRM proposes that this includes FM stations that incur costs to permanently relocate, temporarily or permanently modify their facilities, or purchase or modify auxiliary facilities to provide service during work on a repacked television station’s facilities. The NPRM further recommends a mechanism for reimbursing the newly eligible entities that is substantially similar to the process currently used by the Commission to reimburse full power and Class A licensees and MVPDs."

[Read:FCC Proposes Rules On LPTV Repack Reimbursement]

There is an accompanying order that directs the Media Bureau to hire a contractor to help administer the reimbursement fund for LPTVs/translators and FM stations, which will be handled similarly to the one already in place for full power TVs and class A's. LPTVs, translators and FMS must certify eligibility with the FCC and provide information on equipment and cost estimates. 

For more information on the repack, visit TV Technology's repack silo.

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WASHINGTON--The Federal Communications Commission today proposed rules to reimburse some low-power TV stations, TV translators and FM stations for costs resulting from the 2017 spectrum incentive auction, following up on a recent Congressional directive known as "The 2018 Reimbursement Expansion Act."

The act “expanded the list of eligible entities to include LPTV, TV translator and FM stations, provided additional funds to be used for this purpose, increased the funds available to reimburse full power and Class A stations and MVPDs and provided funds to be used for consumer education purposes,” the FCC said today. The statute also created a deadline of March 23, 2019, for the commission to adopt a Report and Order.

According to the NPRM (MB Docket No. 18-214; GN Docket No. 12-268), reimbursement will be available for LPTV stations and TV translators, “if (1) they filed an application during the commission’s Special Displacement Window and obtained a construction permit, and (2) were licensed and transmitting for at least nine of the 12 months prior to April 13, 2017.”

[Read: FCC Will Open April Window For Auction-Displaced LPTVs]

Additionally, the order says the Media Bureau should engage a third-party contractor to assist in the administration of the fund and also directs the bureau to determine cost eligibility and the reimbursement process. However, “the Media Bureau will consult with the Office of General Counsel and the Office of the Managing Director,” the order says.

The order also shares plans to use the $50 million provided by the REA for consumer education. According to the order, the commissioners “anticipate, among other initiatives, hosting a dedicated consumer service call center to provide consumers technical support and assistance on such matters as rescanning and other means to resolve potential reception issues. We also intend to perform targeted outreach to specific communities about rescanning, and we may use advertising spots to disseminate rescanning information. Consumer education funding could also be used in developing additional online resources...”

The NPRM also notes that the additional REA funds must be used no later than July 3, 2023.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said, “I’d like to thank Congress for passing legislation which provides additional reimbursement funds for full power and Class A stations, reimbursement funds for newly-eligible LPTV, TV translator, and FM stations, and funds for the commission to use for consumer education purposes.” Pai also thanked the commission staff who worked on the notice.

In his own statement, Commissioner Michael O’Rielly emphasized that he agrees with the reimbursement plans in general but thinks further input is needed before action. Specifically, he said, “While Congress carefully outlined how it intended FY18 monies to be spent, it provided less clarity for FY19. Should these funds be allocated similar to FY18 funds? Should television stations have priority? The answers to these questions will affect how interested parties are reimbursed for relocating during the repacking process...”

Additionally, O’Rielly questioned the validity of the “graduated reimbursement system” based on the idea that time equals money and asked for feedback and alternative proposed system(s) to allocate money.

O’Rielly also cautioned that the educational efforts should not duplicate “efforts undertaken by broadcasters or other stakeholders, or take on initiatives outside of [the commission’s] expertise, such as producing advertising spots.”

Finally, O’Rielly wrote, “I support edits in this item that will mitigate the use of delegated authority, as well as remove the tentative conclusion that third parties who made funding arrangements with LPTVs prior to the passage of REA are ineligible for funding.”

Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel did not release a statement, but the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order (FCC 18-113) indicated her approval and that of Commissioner Brendan Carr, whose statement was still pending as of writing.

[Read: FCC Allocates Additional $742 Million For Repack Expenses]

The NPRM “tentatively concludes that both full power FM stations and FM translators that were licensed and transmitting on April 13, 2017, using the facilities affected by a repacked television station, are eligible for reimbursement.” This includes “FM stations that incur costs to permanently relocate, temporarily or permanently modify their facilities, or purchase or modify auxiliary facilities to provide service during work on a repacked television station’s facilities.” Also, the NPRM recommends that the reimbursement process be “substantially similar to” that already used to reimburse full power and Class A licensees and MVPDs.

NAB Executive Vice President of Communications Dennis Wharton released a statement saying, “Earlier this year, Congress wisely authorized additional funding to ensure that tens of millions of Americans will not lose access to news, entertainment and lifeline information during the broadcast industry ‘spectrum repack.’ NAB is encouraged by the FCC proposal adopted today that closely mirrors the intent of Congress. NAB will be actively engaged during the rulemaking process to preserve live and local broadcasting on hometown radio and television stations, low power TV stations and TV translators."

For more information on the repack, visit TV Technology's repack silo.

DENVER — Dr. Byron St. Clair, president emeritus of the National Translator Association, died May 20 in Denver of brain cancer. He was 93.

St. Clair, who served as president of the National Translator Association for 19 years, is known as the "father of translators, LPTV and low-power FM," the association said.

He worked to serve those living in the mountainous rural western United States with broadcast service and in so doing created a new class of over-the-air broadcasting, which has grown to more than 4,000 stations that serve millions of people.

“Byron was a friend and mentor to all, a man of immense intellect, wisdom, ethics, kindness and vision,” said NTA President John Terrill.

During his career, St. Clair was director of R&D for Adler Electronics and founded and served as president of EMCEE, a manufacturer and installer of TV translators. In 1967, he founded and was president of Television Technology Corp. in Arvada, Colo., which later became Larcan-TTC.

St. Clair obtained a BSEE in 1945 and a master’s degree in physics in 1949 from Columbia University. He earned a Ph.D in physics in 1953 from Syracuse University.

He was a member of the National High Definition Television Subcommittees, Systems Subcommittee Working Party to Field Test Task Force, a board member of the Advanced Television Broadcast Alliance, a member and active participant in the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers (AFCCE). St. Clair also was a member of the board of directors for Denver public broadcaster KBDI-TV.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering recognized St. Clair in 2017 with its Jules Cohen award for lifetime achievement.

AFCCE President John Lyons said, “I had the pleasure to sit and speak with with Byron over the last several years discussing his time in New York while attending Columbia for his BS and MA in Physics. He reminisced about living on the waterfront and his enjoyment of education. We will all stand to toast Byron at our Annual Meeting next month in Seattle."

The NTA is establishing The Byron W. St. Clair Memorial Scholarship Fund in partnership with the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers for promising undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in a career in broadcast engineering at accredited U.S. universities and colleges.

St. Clair is survived by his wife of 71 years, Julie, and daughter Susan Hansen of Arvada, Colo. A memorial service will be held in June. Details were not immediately available.