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 PUBLIC  NOTICE  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12th  St.,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov 
 ftp.  fcc.  gov 
 DA  00-  2743 
 December  5,  2000 
 MASS  MEDIA  BUREAU  EXTENDS  FILING  DEADLINE 
 FOR  CLASS  A  LICENSE  APPLICATIONS 


 On  April  4,  2000,  the  Commission  released  a  Report  and  Order  establishing  a  Class  A  television 
 service  to  implement  the  Community  Broadcasters  Protection  Act  of  1999  (CBPA).  Pursuant  to 
 the  CBPA  and  the  Commission’s  rules,  a  low  power  television  licensee  may  convert  the  secondary 
 status  of  its  station  to  the  new  Class  A  status,  provided  it  can  satisfy  certain  statutorily-  established 
 criteria.  Licensees  intending  to  seek  Class  A  designation  were  to  file  a  certification  of  eligibility 
 with  the  Commission  no  later  than  January  28,  2000.  According  to  the  Report  and  Order,  LPTV 
 licensees  that  filed  timely  certifications  of  eligibility,  other  than  those  licensed  to  operate  on  a 
 channel  above  channel  51,  would  be  allowed  to  file  Class  A  applications  up  to  6  months  after  the 
 effective  date  of  the  rules  adopted  in  the  Order.  The  Commission  found  the  6  month  deadline  for 
 filing  a  Class  A  application  to  be  a  reasonable  time  frame  that  would  afford  all  LPTV  stations, 
 including  those  who  must  file  displacement  applications,  adequate  time  to  prepare  and  file  their 
 Class  A  applications  consistent  with  the  adopted  rules.  Because  the  rules  took  effect  on  June  9, 
 2000,  the  6-  month  application  period  ends  on  December  11,  2000. 


 The  Commission  has  received  several  petitions  for  reconsideration  of  the  Report  and  Order.  In 
 order  to  give  eligible  LPTV  licensees  adequate  time  to  prepare  and  file  their  Class  A  applications 
 consistent  with  any  clarifications  or  rule  changes  that  may  be  adopted  on  reconsideration,  we  have 
 decided  to  extend  the  filing  deadline  until  the  issues  raised  by  the  petitioners  have  been  resolved. 
 By  this  Public  Notice,  the  deadline  for  the  filing  of  Class  A  applications  by  eligible  LPTV  stations 
 is  extended  to  90  days  after  release  of  the  Order  on  Reconsideration. 


 For  further  information,  contact  Hossein  Hashemzadeh  or  James  Brown  at  (202)  418-  1600,  in  the 
 Mass  Media  Bureau. 


 By:  Chief,  Mass  Media  Bureau 
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