STATEMENT OF 
COMMISSIONER ROBERT M. McDOWELL
Re: Certificate of Eligibility for Class A Television Status for Low Power Television Station 
WTHC-LP, Atlanta, Georgia 
I vote to approve the substance of this order upholding a Media Bureau decision to 
dismiss the certificate of eligibility, filed by The Atlanta Channel, Inc., required to obtain Class 
A television station status.1 I am disappointed, however, by the Commission’s handling of this 
matter.  Our decision finally resolves an application for review that was filed on December 20, 
2000.  This licensee has now waited almost twelve years for the completion of this FCC 
proceeding.  Such bureaucratic lethargy causes uncertainty, impedes investment, and hinders 
innovation and economic growth.  As a matter of good government, the Commission must 
process all cases as quickly as possible.  Twelve years of inaction is not justifiable.  The 
American people deserve better.
  
1 The Atlanta Channel, the licensee of lower power television station WTHC-LP, failed to timely certify compliance 
with the initial eligibility requirements needed to obtain a Class A designation, as  mandated by the Community 
Broadcasters Protection Act of 1999.  47 U.S.C. § 336(f)(1)(B).