FCC Inundated with DTV Signal Test Exemption Requests
The FCC was inundated with requests for DTV signal testing exemptions from stations lacking sufficient signal strength to pass the tests. A preliminary tally found the Commission had received 59 requests. That number will increase as the requests continue to be processed, said an FCC official who asked not to be identified. The final tally will likely be publicized today (Mon.), said the official. After sorting through the slew of waivers, the Commission will release a notice seeking public comment, the official said.
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The stations want to block requests of satellite subscribers to test DTV signal strength, using a provision in SHVERA. The deadline to seek such exemptions was Dec. 1. If a request isn’t granted by the FCC, and a signal is found to be weak, a DBS provider might be forced to carry a distant TV station instead of the local one, said the FCC official. Stations submitting the requests included some owned by ABC, Hearst-Argyle, Meredith and Scripps Howard, among others.
Several of the requests were caused by a zoning dispute in the Denver area that has prevented the construction of a permanent DTV transmission tower. The fight centers around Lookout Mountain, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains west of the city (CD Dec 1 p12). As a result of the spat between local authorities and broadcasters, stations have had to operate DTV towers at low power. Because of the dispute, Newsweb’s KTVD (UPN) has been forced to send DTV signals from the roof of a highrise in downtown Denver, said a lawyer for the firm. That site serves all residents in the city, but not in the greater metropolitan area, said David O'Connor of law firm Holland & Knight. Zoning litigation would generally be a good reason to grant a waiver, said the FCC official. - Jonathan Make