New NAB President Curtis LeGeyt took the group's reins Monday, said a news release that day (see 2111100073). Former President Gordon Smith has “transitioned to an advisory and advocacy role,” it said. Under LeGeyt, current Executive Vice President-Public Affairs Michelle Lehman will also be his chief of staff while retaining her current role, and Lesley Pena, formerly executive assistant to LeGeyt, will be deputy chief of staff. Both are newly created positions. "Chief legal officer" has also been added to the title of Rick Kaplan, who remains executive vice president-legal and regulatory affairs.
The Evoca-branded pay-TV service using ATSC 3.0 entered its fourth market Thursday when it lit up Idaho's KVUI and KPIF, both Pocatello, emailed a spokesperson. Parent company Edge Networks launched Evoca in Boise in August 2020 (see 2008210021). It’s now also available in Phoenix and Colorado Springs.
The Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Services Sector doesn’t object to Univision’s request for a foreign-ownership declaratory ruling (see 2110050053), said an NTIA letter posted in FCC docket 21-321 Monday. Univision is seeking FCC permission to be more than 25% foreign owned, to allow investors SoftBank and Liberty Global to have voting interests above 5% (see 2107210046).
The FCC Media Bureau proposed a $17,500 penalty for Birach Broadcasting for public file violations and unauthorized silences at KTUV(AM) Little Rock and its FM translator K260DT Little Rock, said a notice of apparent liability and order Monday. The bureau said Birach requested special temporary authority for the stations only after complaints were filed with the agency, and KTUV’s online public files weren’t properly maintained. Birach also certified in a renewal application filed before the stations went silent that they were still broadcasting. Since the application was pending when the stations went dark, Birach was “subject to a continuing obligation to ensure the accuracy of the Application,” and should have amended it when the facts changed, the NAL said. The bureau said it will grant Birach’s renewal applications for the stations on the conclusion of the forfeiture proceeding, conditional on Birach submitting a report to the bureau showing online public file compliance. A similar penalty was proposed in 2018 for another Birach station over unauthorized silence (see 1812210060).
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied low-power TV broadcaster Michael Karr’s petition for review of the FCC’s denial of his attempts to have WVUX-LD Fairmont, West Virginia, carried by satellite MVPDs, said an unpublished order in docket 20-1288 Wednesday. Must-carry rules that apply to cable providers don’t apply to satellite carriage, it said: “His low power station is treated the same as all other low power stations with respect to satellite carriage.”
The FCC canceled Auction 111 -- which involved mutually exclusive low-power TV and translator stations applications -- after the last two remaining parties reached a settlement, said a public notice. The settlement deadline was Nov. 30, and the Media Bureau approved a settlement Tuesday that was proposed before that deadline.
The FCC Media Bureau extended a deadline for comments on directional FM antenna modeling to Jan. 20, replies to Feb. 4, said a public notice posted in docket 21-422 Monday. NAB requested the extension because of the difficulty of gathering needed information during the holiday season (see 2112170053).
NAB wants the FCC to extend the comment deadline for the proceeding on directional FM antenna modeling to Jan. 20 and replies to Feb. 4, said a filing posted in docket 21-422 Friday. Comments are currently due Dec. 30, replies Jan. 14. NAB wants the extension because the holiday season is making it difficult to gather data from broadcasters and consulting engineers.
Five TV stations in Washington, D.C., began broadcasting in ATSC 3.0, with Howard University’s noncommercial station WHUT-TV hosting the signals of Sinclair’s WJLA-TV, NBCUniversal’s WRC-TV, Fox’s WTTG, and Tegna’s WUSA. “It’s gonna take time to infiltrate the market” with 3.0 receivers, said WHUT General Manager Sean Plater in an interview. “Step one was to get stations on the air." Viewers of WHUT’s 1.0 signal won’t see a difference in their feed, Plater said. “That’s one of the first things we checked.” NAB worked with Howard to create an ATSC 3.0 “learning lab” and certificate program at the school, said NAB Chief Technology Officer Sam Matheny in a video presentation Thursday. FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks appeared in the video, praising NAB for creating educational opportunities for Howard University students with the new standard. Matheny highlighted one student, Sulaiman Bastien, who created an 3.0 app in connection with the program. Plater said one reason broadcasters emphasized getting 3.0 online in Washington is to make the tech easy for lawmakers to access. “We want to make sure they can see it up close and personal.” Outgoing NAB CEO Gordon Smith said 3.0 will be broadcasting in 35 markets by year's end.
Gray Television wants the FCC to dismiss its application for review of rejection of Gray’s market modification request for WYMT-TV Hazard, Kentucky (see 1805170044), said a letter posted in docket 18-8 Wednesday. The agency rejected Gray’s original application in part because the satellite MVPDs in the area were carrying another Gray station with a duplicate network affiliation.