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 PUBLIC  NOTICE  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12th  St.,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12th  St.,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 DA  05-  2758  October  21,  2005 
 Deadline  For  Filing  FCC  Form  384,  Digital  Channel  Election  Form,  Second  Round  Election  Extended  Until  October  31,  2005 


 In  the  Second  DTV  Periodic  Review  Report  and  Order,  1  the  Commission  adopted  a  multi-  step  channel  election  process  through  which  the  nation's  full-  power  television  licensees  and 
 permittees  (licensees)  will  select  their  ultimate  DTV  channel  inside  the  core  (i.  e.,  channels  2-  51).  On  October  4,  2005,  the  Commission  announced  1,713  tentative  channel  designations  based 
 upon  the  First  Round  Channel  Elections,  and  required  licensees  participating  in  the  second  round  of  elections  to  file  FCC  Form  384,  Digital  Channel  Election  Form  Second  Round  Election,  no 
 later  than  October  24,  2005.  2 
 On  October  19,  2005,  the  Association  of  Federal  Communications  Consulting  Engineers  (AFCCE)  requested  a  three  week  extension  of  the  October  24  th  filing  deadline  on  behalf  of  its 
 members,  asserting  that  the  engineering  involved  in  choosing  channels  for  the  approximately  80  licensees  participating  in  the  second  round  of  elections  has  become  more  complex,  now  that 
 1,713  licensees  have  received  tentative  channel  designations.  AFCCE  also  states  that  channel  studies  could  not  be  performed  until  the  Commission  released  the  October  4th  public  notice,  and 
 that  20  days  is  an  insufficient  amount  of  time  "to  make  use  of  all  the  techniques  for  the  best  and  final  DTV  operation,  particularly  in  markets  with  multiple  and  possibly  competing  demands  and 
 interests." 
 We  will  grant  an  extension  of  the  October  24  th  deadline,  but  not  for  the  length  of  time  requested.  For  some  licensees,  the  engineering  process  of  electing  a  channel  in  the  second  round  will  be 
 complex.  We  note,  however,  that  less  than  100  licensees  are  participating  in  the  second  round,  a  small  fraction  of  the  number  which  participated  in  the  first  round  of  elections.  In  addition,  the 


 1  Second  Periodic  Review  of  the  Commission's  Rules  and  Policies  Affecting  the  Conversion  to  Digital  Television,  19 
 FCC  Rcd  18,  279  (2004).  2  Public  Notice,  Tentative  Digital  Channel  Designations  for  Stations  Participating  in  the  First  Round  of  DTV 


 Channel  Elections  and  Second  Round  Election  Filing  Deadline,  DA  05-  2649  (released  October  4,  2005). 
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 Commission  announced  almost  1,600  tentative  channel  designations  in  June  2005.  3  Under  these  circumstances,  we  will  extend  the  deadline  for  Filing  FCC  Form  384  until  October  31,  2005. 
 For  additional  information,  contact  Joyce  Bernstein  or  Nazifa  Sawez  of  the  Video  Division,  Media  Bureau,  at  (202)  418-  1600,  or  at  Joyce.  Bernstein@  fcc.  gov  or  Nazifa.  Sawez@  fcc.  gov. 
 TTY:  (202)  418-  7172. 
 --  FCC-- 


 3  See  In  the  Matter  of  Negotiated  Channel  Election  Arrangements,  DA  05-  1619  (released  June  8,  2005);  Public 
 Notice,  DTV  Tentative  Channel  Designations  for  1,554  Stations  Participating  in  the  First  Round  of  DTV  Channel  Elections,  DA  05-  1743  (released  June  23,  2005). 
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