Proposed Rule2024-08743
Television Broadcasting Services Jacksonville, Florida
Primary source
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Published
April 24, 2024
Issuing agencies
Federal Communications Commission
Abstract
The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a petition for rulemaking filed January 19, 2024 and amended on January 30, 2024, by Multimedia Holdings Corporation (Petitioner). The Petitioner requests the substitution of channel 33 for channel 13 at Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville), in the Table of TV Allotments.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 80 (Wednesday, April 24, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 24, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 31125-31126]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08743]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 73
[MB Docket No. 24-112; RM-11981; DA 24-358; FR ID 215164]
Television Broadcasting Services Jacksonville, Florida
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a
petition for rulemaking filed January 19, 2024 and amended on January
30, 2024, by Multimedia Holdings Corporation (Petitioner). The
Petitioner requests the substitution of channel 33 for channel 13 at
Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville), in the Table of TV Allotments.
DATES: Comments must be filed on or before May 24, 2024 and reply
comments on or before June 10, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, Office of the Secretary,
45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. In addition to filing comments
with the FCC, interested parties should serve counsel for the
Petitioner as follows: Michael Beder, Esq., Associate General Counsel,
TEGNA Inc., 8350 Broad Street, Suite 2000, Tysons, Virginia 22102.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joyce Bernstein, Media Bureau, at
(202) 418-1647; or Joyce Bernstein, Media Bureau, at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8cc6e3f5efe9a2cee9fee2fff8e9e5e2cceaefefa2ebe3fa"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e4ae8b9d8781caa681968a9790818d8aa4828787ca838b92">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In support of its channel substitution
request, the Petitioner states that its proposed channel substitution
would serve the public interest by resolving persistent reception
complaints it has received from viewers, and substantially improve the
Jacksonville community's access to the Station's local news, emergency,
NBC network, and other programming. The Petitioner states that the
Commission has recognized that VHF channels have certain
characteristics that pose challenges for their use in providing digital
television service, including propagation characteristics that allow
undesired signals and noise to be receivable at relatively far
distances.
Additionally, the Petitioner notes that the Commission has observed
``large variability in the performance (especially intrinsic gain) of
indoor antennas available to consumers, with most antennas receiving
fairly well at UHF and the substantial majority not so well to very
poor at high-VHF.'' Petitioner further states that the Commission has
recognized that although VHF reception issues are not universal,
environmental noise blockages affecting VHF signal strength and
reception exist and vary widely from service area to service area.
An engineering statement provided by the Petitioner confirms that
the proposed channel *33 contour would provide full principal community
coverage to Jacksonville and would not cause impermissible interference
to any station. Although an analysis provided by the Petitioner using
the Commission's TVStudy software tool indicates that the Station's
move to channel 33 will result in 274,303 persons no longer being
located within the station's noise limited service contour (NLSC),
there are three other NBC affiliated TV stations whose NLSC overlaps
with WTLV's proposed NLSC. These stations serve all but 16,737 persons
in the predicted loss area. Furthermore, according to the Petitioner,
when the Commission's TVStudy software is run for the Station's
licensed and proposed facilities with the Study Area Mode set to
unrestricted to predict coverage outside the proposed NLSC, all viewers
in the predicted loss area would continue to receive over-the-air NBC
network programming. Thus, according to the Petitioner, although the
proposed channel 33 facility would result in a reduction in the
predicted population served, once service provided by other NBC
stations and terrain-limited coverage predictions are taken into
account, the proposed channel 33 facility will result in no loss of NBC
service.
We believe that the Petitioner's channel substitution proposal for
WTLV warrants consideration. Channel 33 can be substituted for channel
13 at Jacksonville as proposed, in compliance with the principal
community coverage requirements of Sec. 73.618(a) of the Commission's
Rules, at coordinates 30-16'-25'' N and 81-33'-12'' W. In addition, we
find that this channel change meets the technical requirements set
forth in Sec. 73.622(a) of the rules. Although the proposal is
predicted to result in a loss of service to 274,303 persons, all of
those persons would continue to receive over-the-air NBC network
service either from other existing stations or while being located
outside of WTLV's NLSC.
This is a synopsis of the Commission's Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (NPRM,) MB Docket No. 24-112; RM-11981; DA 24-358, adopted
April 16, 2024, and released April 16, 2024. The full text of this
document is available for download at <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/edocs">https://www.fcc.gov/edocs</a>. To
request materials in accessible formats (braille, large print, computer
diskettes, or audio recordings), please send an email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#074144443237334761646429606871"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="30767373050004705653531e575f46">[email protected]</span></a>
or call the Consumer & Government Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530
(VOICE), (202) 418-0432 (TTY).
This document does not contain information collection requirements
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. In
addition, therefore, it does not contain any proposed information
collection burden ``for small business concerns with fewer than 25
employees,'' pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of
2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4). Provisions of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, 5 U.S.C. 601-612, do not apply to
this proceeding.
Members of the public should note that all ex parte contacts are
prohibited from the time a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is
issued to the time the matter is no longer subject to Commission
consideration or court review, see 47 CFR 1.1208. There are, however,
exceptions to this prohibition, which can be found in Sec. 1.1204(a)
of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 1.1204(a).
See Sec. Sec. 1.415 and 1.420 of the Commission's rules for
information regarding the proper filing procedures for comments, 47 CFR
1.415 and 1.420.
[[Page 31126]]
Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act: The Providing
Accountability Through Transparency Act, Public Law 118-9, requires
each agency, in providing notice of a rulemaking, to post online a
brief plain-language summary of the proposed rule. The required summary
of this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking/Further Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking is available at <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/proposed-rulemakings">https://www.fcc.gov/proposed-rulemakings</a>.
List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73
Television.
Federal Communications Commission.
Thomas Horan,
Chief of Staff, Media Bureau.
Proposed Rule
For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal
Communications Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR part 73 as follows:
PART 73--RADIO BROADCAST SERVICE
0
1. The authority citation for part 73 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 155, 301, 303, 307, 309, 310, 334,
336, 339.
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2. In Sec. 73.622, in the table in paragraph (j), under Florida, by
amending the entry for Jacksonville to read as follows:
Sec. 73.622 Digital television table of allotments.
* * * * *
(j) * * *
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Community Channel No.
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* * * * *
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Florida
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* * * * *
Jacksonville........................... *9, 14, 18, 19, 20, *21, 33
* * * * *
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[FR Doc. 2024-08743 Filed 4-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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