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March 20, 2015
The Honorable Tom Wheeler
Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554
Re: WMC Channel Change Petition, FCC File No. BPRM-20110526AJPON ON
Docket No. 12-268
Dear Chairman Wheeler:
We write to urge the Commission to act on the petition ofWMC-TV, Memphis, Tennessee, to
move from low VHF Channel 5 to UHF Channel 17. When we wrote to you in September 2013,
we expressed concern that thousands of viewers in the station's service area have been deprived
of access to WMC- TV's free, over-the-air television signal due to the difficulties of digital
broadcasting on low VHF channels (difficulties that the Commission has repeatedly
acknowledged). We noted that "[t]he inability to receive WMC-TV's low VHF signal hits
hardest senior citizens, low-income households, and African American households which still
depend substantially on over-the-air television."
The petition filed by WMC- TV has been pending since May 20 11. Yet rather than move
expeditiously to process the petition, the Commission has allowed these harms to our
constituents to continue - and it has even authorized the Media Bureau to dismiss certain
petitions. We remind you that Congress added Section 6403(g)(I)(B) to the Middle Class Tax
Relief and Job Creation Act of 20 12 to ensure that the Commission could act on such petitions
consistent with - not contrary to - that legislation. And we note that the Commission had
granted a number of petitions to allow VHF stations to move to UHF channels, before it issued
the freeze on accepting additional such petitions.
In the interest of restoring robust, reliable, and free television service to viewers, we urge the
Commission to promptly give full and fair consideration to WMC-TV's petition.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
/Ğ. Sincerely,
P,eOhen ~ ~
Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Stephen Fincher Rick Crawford
Member of Congress Member of Congress
cc: Chairman Wheeler*
Commissioner Clyburn*
Commissioner Rosenworcel *
Commissioner Pai *
Commissioner O'Rielly*
Bill Lake"
WMC License Subsidiary, LLC
20 J Monroe Street
20th Floor
Montgomery, AL 36104
* bye-mail