Last week the FCC allowed two stations to shut down their 700 MHz band analog channels and released a Public Notice announcing a request by a third station to cease analog operation on channel 55. All three stations received support from Qualcomm in its filings.
The WLNY Request for Authority to Cease Analog Operations devotes almost three pages to the public interest benefits of expediting the roll out of Qualcomm's wireless MediaFLO service. The grant of the request to shut down WACX-TV analog channel 55 as well as the grant of Puget Sound Educational TV to shut down KWDK analog channel 56 mention the benefits of making Qualcomm's MediaFLO services available to consumers.
In granting the WACX-TV and KWDK requests, the FCC required each station "to supply all cable systems carrying its digital signal" with the conversion equipment necessary to translate the station's digital signal to an analog signal. In its request, WLNY-TV said it would, at its own expense, "provide cable operators with a signal capable of retransmission to subscribers in analog form." WLNY-TV said it already uses fiber optic links to deliver its signal to all cable systems carrying the station, so there would be no disruption to WLNY viewers using cable and other MVPDs.
The FCC database dated July 17, 2005 (see last week's RF Report) showed 62 full power analog licenses and 83 construction permits and construction permit modifications on channels 52-59, although not all of them will meet the FCC's requirements for earlier shutdown of their analog channel.
