FCC Accepts LPTV/Translator Applications for Operation on Currently Occupied Channels

The FCC has accepted several television transmitter and low power television applications, according to a Public Notice (Report AUCT85-6) released last week. Because the applications were received in an auction filing window, petitions to deny must be filed within 15 days from the release of the Public Notice on Nov. 30, 2007.

What is interesting is that some of these applications, which were filed in 2006, propose operation on the same channels in the same or adjacent markets as existing full power TV stations. For example, stations are proposed in Los Angeles on channels 50 (currently the KOCE-TV analog frequency) and channel 22 (now used for analog broadcasting by KWHY-TV) which also serves the Los Angeles market. Another accepted application is for an LPTV station on channel 40 in Phoenix, adjacent to Tucson, where the channel is used for a full power analog station, and is an allotted DTV channel.

Other applications cover parts of Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, upstate New York, West Texas, Utah, and Washington state. Refer to the Public Notice (Report AUCT85-6) for the complete list. If you have stations in one of these markets, you may want to verify these stations won’t cause interference, especially if your final DTV allotment is on your analog channel.

Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.