Rule2024-16870
Television Broadcasting Services Jacksonville, Florida
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 31, 2024
Effective
July 31, 2024
Issuing agencies
Federal Communications Commission
Abstract
The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in response to a Petition for Rulemaking filed by Multimedia Holdings Corporation (Petitioner or Multimedia), the licensee of WTLV (Station or WTLV), channel 13, Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville). The Petitioner has requested the substitution of UHF channel 33 for VHF channel 13 in the Table of TV Allotments. TEGNA Inc., on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary, Multimedia, filed comments in support of the Petition, as required by the Commission's rules (rules), reaffirming Multimedia's commitment to apply for channel 33 and, if authorized, to promptly implement the facilities modifications necessary for the Station to operate on channel 33.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 147 (Wednesday, July 31, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 147 (Wednesday, July 31, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 61354-61355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16870]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 73
[MB Docket No. 24-112; RM-11981; DA 24-720; FR ID 235234]
Television Broadcasting Services Jacksonville, Florida
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in response to a Petition for
Rulemaking filed by Multimedia Holdings Corporation (Petitioner or
Multimedia), the licensee of WTLV (Station or WTLV), channel 13,
Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville). The Petitioner has requested the
substitution of UHF channel 33 for VHF channel 13 in the Table of TV
Allotments. TEGNA Inc., on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary,
Multimedia, filed comments in support of the Petition, as required by
the Commission's rules (rules), reaffirming Multimedia's commitment to
apply for channel 33 and, if authorized, to promptly implement the
facilities modifications necessary for the Station to operate on
channel 33.
DATES: Effective July 31, 2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joyce Bernstein, Media Bureau, at
(202) 418-1647 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d993b6a0babcf79bbcabb7aaadbcb0b799bfbabaf7beb6af"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9fd5f0e6fcfab1ddfaedf1ecebfaf6f1dff9fcfcb1f8f0e9">[email protected]</span></a>, or Mark Colombo, Media
Bureau, at (202) 418-7611 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#450824372e6b062a292a28272a052326266b222a33"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="99d4f8ebf2b7daf6f5f6f4fbf6d9fffafab7fef6ef">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed rule was published at 89 FR
31125 on April 24, 2024. The Petitioner filed comments in support of
the petition reaffirming its commitment to apply for channel 33. No
other comments were filed.
The Bureau believes the public interest would be served by
substituting channel 33 for channel 13 at Jacksonville. According to
the Petitioner, the Station has received persistent reception
complaints from viewers, many of whom state that they can receive
signals from other local stations on UHF channels, but not WTLV on VHF
channel 13. 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, and 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. Additionally, the Petitioner
notes that the Commission has observed the large variability in the
performance of indoor antennas available to consumers, with most
antennas receiving ``fairly well at UHF and . . . not so well to very
poor at high-VHF.'' WTLV is an NBC network affiliate and while an
analysis provided by the Petitioner 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), all but
16,737 persons in the predicted loss area are within the NLSC of three
other NBC affiliated TV stations. Further, when the Commission's
TVStudy software is run for the Station's licensed and proposed
facility with the ``Study Area Mode'' set to ``unrestricted'' to
predict coverage outside the proposed channel 33 NLSC, all viewers in
the remaining predicted loss area would continue to receive over-the-
air NBC network programming from WTLV on channel 33. Thus, once service
provided by other NBC stations and the terrain-limited coverage
predictions are taken into account, we find that the proposed channel
33 facility will result in no loss of NBC service to existing viewers
within the Station's current NLSC.
We also find that the proposal complies with all relevant technical
requirements for amendment of the Table of TV Allotments, including the
interference protection requirements of Sec. 73.622(a) of the rules,
and further demonstrates that the proposed channel 33 facility will
provide full principal community coverage to Jacksonville as required
by Sec. 73.618 of the rules. In fact, this channel substitution from
VHF to UHF will help improve service to existing viewers, including
those in the Station's principal community of license, by eliminating
reception issues related to the Station's current operation on a high-
VHF channel. As proposed, channel 33 can be substituted for channel 13
at Jacksonville in compliance with the principal community coverage
requirements of Sec. 73.618(a) of the 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.
This is a synopsis of the Commission's Report and Order, MB Docket
No. 24-112; RM-11981; DA 24-720, adopted July 24, 2024, and released
July 24, 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 for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic
files, audio format), send an email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#04626767313430446267672a636b72"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="660005055356522600050548010910">[email protected]</span></a> or call the
Consumer & Governmental 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.
The Commission will send a copy of the Report and Order in a report
to be sent to Congress and the Government Accountability Office
pursuant to the
[[Page 61355]]
Congressional Review Act, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A).
List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73 Television.
Federal Communications Commission.
Thomas Horan,
Chief of Staff, Media Bureau.
Final Rule
For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal
Communications Commission amends 47 CFR part 73 as follows:
PART 73--RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES
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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(j), amend the Table of TV Allotments, under Florida,
by revising 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. 2024-16870 Filed 7-30-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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