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 DA 08-2818 Released: December 30, 2008 MEDIA BUREAU ANNOUNCES APPLICATION AND STA FILING PROCEDURES FOR NEW REPLACEMENT DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSLATORS BEGINNING JANUARY 5, 2009 In the Replacement Digital Television Translator NPRM,1 the Commission announced that it would seek comment on the creation of a new replacement digital television translator service. In order to preserve service to possible loss areas and expedite the future consideration of applications for replacement translator facilities, the Commission announced that it would begin accepting applications for replacement digital television translator stations following the release date of the Replacement Digital Television Translator NPRM.2 The Commission stated further that it would withhold the processing of such applications pending the outcome of the proceeding.3 In the interim, the Commission announced that full-service stations are permitted to submit requests for special temporary authority (STA) pursuant to existing STA procedures in order to operate temporary replacement translator facilities during the pendency of the rulemaking proceeding. The Commission delegated to the Media Bureau the authority to announce the exact date that applications for replacement translator stations will begin to be accepted and the interim procedures and policies that will be applied to such filings. We announce that, beginning January 5, 2009, full-service television stations seeking a replacement digital television translator station may submit FCC Form 346 through the Consolidated Database System (CDBS): http://www.fcc.gov/mb/cdbs.html For assistance with electronic filing, call the Mass Media Bureau Help Desk at (202) 418-26MB (418- 2662). Stations that desire to begin immediately operating temporary replacement digital television translator facilities while their applications are pending may also submit a request for Special Temporary Authority (STA) through CDBS. Stations seeking an STA must simultaneously file a corresponding application for their replacement digital translator facilities. Applications for replacement digital television translators must include the filing fee of $675.00 and requests for STAs must include the filing fee of $160.00. Applicants should note that applications and requests for STAs for replacement digital television translators must include a technical showing that 1 See Amendment of Parts 73 and 74 of the Commission’s Rules to Establish Rules for Replacement Digital Low Power Television Translator Stations, MB Docket No. 08-253, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, released December 23, 2008 (Replacement Digital Television Translator NPRM). 2 Id. at ¶10. 3 Id. 2 a portion of the station’s analog service area4 will not be served by their full, post-transition digital facilities and that the replacement digital television translator will only serve the demonstrated loss area. Stations must limit the service area of the replacement digital television translator to the demonstrated loss area of the full-service station. If applicable, stations proposing replacement digital television translators that expand the full-service station’s digital service area must demonstrate that it is impossible to site a translator that replaces a loss area without also slightly expanding the full-service station’s digital service area. Replacement digital television translators may not operate on channels 60 through 69. Applicants for channels 52-59 should also note that they must certify the unavailability of any suitable in-core channel for use with their replacement digital television translator.5 “Suitable in-core channel” is defined as one that would enable the station to produce a digital service area comparable to its analog service area. Furthermore, applicants for replacement digital television translators on channels 52-59 must provide the notifications to wireless licensees adopted for low power television and TV translator stations seeking to flash cut or a digital companion channel on channels 52-59.6 For more information, contact the Media Bureau’s Video Division: Shaun Maher, Shaun.Maher@fcc.gov (legal) and Hossein Hashemzadeh, Hossein.Hashemzadeh@fcc.gov (technical) at (202) 418-1600. TTY: (202) 418-7172. --FCC-- 4 We define “analog service area” as the authorized service area actually served by the analog signal prior to analog termination for the transition. See Digital Television Distributed Transmission System Technologies, MB Docket No.05-312, Report and Order, FCC 08-256, ¶28, released November 7, 2008. 5 See Amendment of Parts 73 and 74 of the Commission’s Rules to Establish Rules for Digital Low Power Television, Television Translator, and Television Booster Stations and to Amend Rules for Digital Class A Television Stations, 19 FCC Rcd 19331, ¶71 (2004). 6 Id. Applicants on channels 52-59 are required to notify all potentially affected 700 MHz commercial wireless licensees of the spectrum comprising the proposed TV channel and the spectrum in the first adjacent channels thereto. They are also required to provide notification to co-channel and first adjacent channel licensees whose geographic service area boundaries lie within 75 miles and 50 miles, respectively, of the proposed digital translator station location. Such notification must be made at the time of filing the application for replacement digital television translator station. The applicant must certify in their applications that the notification requirements have been met. The identity and contact information for all wireless entities in the 700 MHz band is available through the Universal Licensing System (ULS) on the Commission web site (www.fcc.gov).