DA 19-1036 Released: October 11, 2019 MEDIA BUREAU SEEKS COMMENT ON JOINT PETITION FOR RULEMAKING OF AMERICA’S PUBLIC TELEVISION STATIONS AND THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS SEEKING TO AMEND SECTION 73.626 OF THE COMMISSION’S RULES RELATING TO DISTRIBUTED TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS GN Docket No. 16-142 Comment Date: November 12, 2019 Reply Comment Date: November 27, 2019 On October 3, 2019, America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) and The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) filed a Joint Petition for Rulemaking (“Petition”) asking the Commission to amend section 76.626 of the Commission’s rules relating to Distributed Transmission Systems (“DTS”), also known as single frequency networks. See generally Joint Petition for Rulemaking of America’s Public Television Stations, and The National Association of Broadcasters, GN Docket No. 16-142 (filed Oct. 3, 2019) (Joint Petition). More specifically, the Petition asks the Commission to “amend its methodology for determining DTS service limits while preserving the current interference requirements.” See Joint Petition at 2. The Petition states that, “[a]s they plan to roll out ATSC 3.0 deployments, many broadcasters are interested in exploring the advanced capabilities of ATSC 3.0 to facilitate the use of DTS. Id. at 1. The Joint Petition further asserts that “ATSC 3.0 permits a simplified design for single frequency networks that makes the deployment of such networks significantly more cost effective. However, the Commission’s current DTS rules limit broadcasters’ ability to deploy additional transmitters near the edge of a station’s coverage area, hampering the deployment of such networks.” Id. at 2. Accordingly, the Petition alleges that updating the Commission’s DTS rules to remove these limitations would enable stations to improve service throughout their coverage area (particularly near the edge of the coverage area), improve mobile reception, and improve spectrum efficiency (by reducing the need for television translators using separate channels). Id. We issue this Public Notice to seek comment on the Petition. The Petition is available electronically through the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) under the above-referenced docket numbers, which may be accessed on the Commission’s Internet website at http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/. Filing Requirements. Pursuant to sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR §§ 1.415, 1.419. interested parties may file comments and reply comments on or before the dates indicated on the first page of this document. Comments may be filed using the ECFS. See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, Report and Order, 13 FCC Rcd 11322 (1998). § Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/. § Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and one copy of each filing. If more than one docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission’s Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. § All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12th St., SW, Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. The filing hours are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be disposed of before entering the building. § Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. § U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW, Washington DC 20554. People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (tty). Ex Parte Rules. This proceeding shall be treated as a “permit-but-disclose” proceeding in accordance with the Commission’s ex parte rules. 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.1200 et seq. Persons making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation within two business days after the presentation (unless a different deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentation must (1) list all persons attending or otherwise participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was made, and (2) summarize all data presented and arguments made during the presentation. See id. § 1.1206(b). Memoranda must contain a summary of the substance of the ex parte presentation and not merely a listing of the subjects discussed. More than a one or two sentence description of the views and arguments presented is generally required. See id. § 1.1206(b)(1). If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of the presentation of data or arguments already reflected in the presenter’s written comments, memoranda or other filings in the proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such data or arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings (specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where such data or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must be filed consistent with Section 1.1206(b) of the rules. In proceedings governed by Section 1.49(f) or for which the Commission has made available a method of electronic filing, written ex parte presentations and memoranda summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all attachments thereto, must be filed through the electronic comment filing system available for that proceeding, and must be filed in their native format (e.g., .doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants in this proceeding should familiarize themselves with the Commission’s ex parte rules. For additional information, contact Evan Baranoff, Evan.Baranoff@fcc.gov, of the Media Bureau, Policy Division, (202) 418-7142. Direct press inquiries to Janice Wise at (202) 418-8165. -FCC- 3