Replacement Translators Not Protected in Repacking, FCC's Lake Says
The repacking process for the FCC incentive auction will potentially affect stations in every designated market area, since the commission expects to repurpose channels 51 and below, said Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake in a low-power TV LEARN webinar Tuesday.…
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The commission is on schedule to hold the auction in early 2016, he said. Other officials have said similar in recent days (see 1502240035">1502240035). "The reorganization of the broadcast band will have a significant impact on translators and LPTV stations, especially in urban areas," said Lake. Replacement translators aren't protected in the repacking, but will have a priority in the post-auction displacement window, he said. Class A stations and full-power stations are entitled to protection under the Spectrum Act, he said. The pre-auction licensing deadline is May 29, relevant only to Class A and full-power TV stations, he said. A proposal to extend the Sept. 1 deadline for LPTV and TV translator stations to transition to digital avoids requiring stations to double-build, he said. Channel sharing will add more broadcast hours and broaden a user base, Lake said. Commenters urged the commission to allow more than two partners to share a single channel, like some full power stations, he said. Another proposal is to have full-power stations replace digital service areas that will be lost after the repacking, a digital-to-digital replacement translator, he said. The commission wants to preserve one channel in the UHF band in all areas of the U.S. that aren't assigned to a TV station in the repacking process for shared use by white space devices and wireless mics, based on consumer need, Lake said. An alternative delivery method LPTV might consider is multicasting on digital stations, he said. LPTVs that are primary emergency alert system facilities are subjects of petitions for reconsideration and comments, which the commission will decide on, he said. A window for new stations might be opened after the repacking process and the displacement window, he said. “We hope very much that viewers in the heartland and elsewhere continue to receive the programming they need and want, and we will work with the low-power community to try to ensure that that happens."