FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
August 4, 2011
..JULIUS GENACHOWSKI
CHAIRMAN
The Honorable Benjamin L. Cardin
United States Senate
509 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Cardin:
Thank you for your letter regarding thc status of an Application for Review that was filed
with the Commission by Entravision Holdings, LLC, licensee of WJAL(TV), Hagerstown,
Maryland, concerning its request to change thc community of license for WJAL.
In 2004, the Commission's Media Burcau affirmed a prior decision to dismiss the
Entravision petition for rulemaking sccking to change the community of license of WJAL's
digital television (DTV) channel 16 from Hagerstown to Silver Spring, Maryland. The Media
Bureau based its dismissal primarily on the grounds that the proposed relocation would cause
substantial interference to public safety and emergency operations on channel 17 in the
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The Bureau also determined that the proposal would result
in a significant curtailment ofexisting television service to the Hagerstown area. Entravision
filed an Application for Review requesting that the Burcau's decision be reviewed by the full
Commission.
In 2006, Entravision filed a supplement to its Application for Review, which indicated
that the company had changed its DTV election for WJAL to channel 39, thereby addressing the
public safcty concerns. By that time, however, the Commission had stopped considering certain
proposed license modifications, including community of license changes, in order to ensure a
stable database for conducting the DTV channel election process and the development ofa new
DTV Table of Allotments. With the completion ofthe DTV transition, the staff has resumed
consideration of matters, such as Entravision's Application for Review, that were held in
abeyance pending the DTV transition.
I appreciate learning ofyour interest in this important matter. If I can be of further
assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Julius Genachowski
445 12TH STREET S.W WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 • 202-418-1000