FCC Grants 43 DTV Construction Extensions

Even as Congress debated a hard analog shut-off date, the FCC found that 43 stations had a legitimate reason for not having a DTV signal on the air. The commission adopted an order granting six-month extensions for 43 noncommercial stations to complete the construction of their DTV facilities. The waivers were granted

Author:: TVTechnology
Publish date:: Mar 10, 2005

Even as Congress debated a hard analog shut-off date, the FCC found that 43 stations had a legitimate reason for not having a DTV signal on the air.

The commission adopted an order granting six-month extensions for 43 noncommercial stations to complete the construction of their DTV facilities. The waivers were granted based on "demonstrated inability to complete construction by their current deadline."

The FCC decided that those 43 stations made reasonable and diligent efforts to construct, but were delayed by circumstances that were either unforeseeable or beyond their control. Details about the stations and those circumstances were forthcoming, but not available, at press time.

The order also found that two stations failed to adequately justify further extension of their DTV construction permits. These stations were admonished and given six months to complete their DTV facilities.

The FCC granted five requests from "network-affiliated" TV stations for extensions of their DTV construction permits. New York stations WABC-DT and WNBC-DT are currently on the air operating temporary DTV facilities and both are continuing to work on building DTV facilities at the Empire State Building. Both stations h

Although 1,009 out of 1,196 commercial TV stations have commenced DTV broadcasting, some stations are finding it difficult to meet the construction deadlines. The FCC rules require that requests for a third extension of a station's construction deadline have to be considered by the full Commission. Last week, the FCC c

The FCC granted 104 stations a third extension of their DTV construction permit at its Oct. 16 Open Meeting. Seven stations were given six months to "complete construction of their facilities or face financial sanctions." These seven stations were admonished for failing to adequately justify an extension and will be re

As covered in previous editions of RF Report, under the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004 (SHERVA), the FCC is authorized to grant a waiver of digital signal strength testing when requested by a station able to show that the station's digital signal coverage "continues to be limited due to

The admonished stations were given six months to complete construction of their DTV facilities or face financial sanctions.

Of the 85 stations, three were cited for not having justifications for the delay

Of the 85 stations, three were cited for not having justifications for the delay

The FCC has released the Order detailing its rationale behind the extensions and admonishments given TV stations requesting third extensions of their May 1, 2002 DTV construction deadline. The Order goes into much more detail than the News Release described in last week's RF Report. The reasons for each station's e