New Low-Power DTV Rules Now in Effect

By Doug Lung
published


In a Public Notice (DA 11-1446) released Friday, the FCC announced that the rules in the LPTV DTV Second Report and Order (FCC 11-110) are now in effect. Two of the information collection requirements are still pending approval from the Office of Management and Budget.

The two delayed rules are an expansion of the Commission's existing ancillary and supplementary rule to LPTV permittees operating pursuant to STA, and the requirement that stations that have not already taken steps to convert to DTV notify the Commission regarding their digital transition plan.

Sept. 1, 2011, is the last day for stations to file displacement applications for low-power TV, and translators now operating above TV Channel 51. See FCC Sets Deadline for LPTV DTV Transition for more details.

Doug Lung
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.