CBA 2003

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CBA 2004
KEITH.LARSON_at_fcc.gov FCC Media Bureau
[phone]

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HELLO BROADCASTERS!
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Todays Topics

• Brief DTV Update
• Digital LPTV Report and Order (non- technical
  aspects)

Interference analysis and other technical
elements covered tomorrow morning
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1600
Total DTV Stations On Air
(out of 1688 paired DTV channels)
1400
1200
Currently 1445 stations (794 with STA)
1000
800
600
400
200
0
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
9/04
(est.)
(est.)
(est.)
Source FCC Video Division, Sept. 2004
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The Digital Transition
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2nd Periodic Review Report Order (August 4,
2004)
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DTV Channel Election
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Filing Freeze (Announced August 3, 2004)

• Rule making petitions for
• DTV channel changes and new allotments
• NTSC channel allotments or changes in community
  of license
• Applications to maximize DTV or NTSC broadcast
  facilities

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Filing FreezeClass A and Class A-eligible
LPTV stations

• Displacement applications
• Stations facing imminent disruption of service
  may request an STA to permit continued operation
• Facilities modifications that would extend
  coverage contour in any direction

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DTV Channel Election Milestones

• (1) Certification of intent to replicate or
  maximize already-authorized facilities
  November, 2004
• (2) 1st round elections - December, 2004
• stations with in-core DTV and NTSC channels
  select one or negotiate a channel swap with
  another licensee
• Stations with a single DTV or NTSC in-core
  channel select it or release it and request
  another channel in round two

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• (3) Interference conflict resolution of first
  round elections Complete by February, 2005
• (4) 2nd round elections stations with two
  out-of-core channels and stations from 1st round
  that wish to be treated like them request a
  channel or ask FCC to select one July, 2005
• (5) Conflict resolution of second round elections
  Complete by September, 2005

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• (6) Third (final) round election channel
  preference of stations not yet accommodated
  January, 2006
• (7) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing a
  post-transition DTV Table of Allotments August,
  2006

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Digital LPTV Is Coming!
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Our FCC Home
New Digital LPTV Service Rules
Report and Order (MB Docket No. 03185) Adopted
September 9, 2004 Released
September 30, 2004
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Goals
Analog TV
Digital TV

• Hasten transition to digital service
• Minimize disruption to existing service

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(No Transcript)
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What is a digital low power TV station?
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• A station in the LPTV service that
• may retransmit the programs and signals of a DTV
  broadcast station, may originate programming in
  any amount greater than 30 seconds per hour for
  the purpose of providing digital television (DTV)
  reception to the general public, and subject to a
  minimum video program service requirement, may
  offer services of an ancillary or supplementary
  nature, including subscription-based services.
  74.701 (k)

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What digital service is required?
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• Whenever operating, must transmit a free off-air
  video programming service of at least analog TV
  technical quality
• Intended for reception by the general public
  using receivers based on the FCC transmission
  standard (i.e., 8-VSB modulation)

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Video Program Service Examples

• TV or DTV signal rebroadcasts
• Need consent of station licensee
• May arrange carry only portion of DTV bit stream
• Satellite video program service retransmission
• Local program origination (of the kind aired by
  analog LPTV stations)

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Public Interest Obligations

• Generally apply the obligations applicable to
  analog LPTV stations
• Examples
• broadcasts by candidates for political office
• sponsorship identification
• closed captioning
• Future proceeding will address public interest
  obligations for LPTV and Class A station
  multi-casts

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What digital service is permitted?
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Dynamic Bit Allocation Options (19.38
megabits/sec)
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Ancillary and Supplementary Services
Pay TV
Examples Data sent to TV or computer,
subscription video, downstream internet, paging
Can partner with outside service providers
Annual fee of 5 of gross revenues from feeable
services
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How do I convert to digital
operation ?
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Option 1

Flashcut analog channel to digital
(i.e., cease analog transmissions on authorized
channel and begin transmitting a digital signal)
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Pro Run only one station at a time

Con If done prematurely, lose audience that
cannot receive a digital signal

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May file for digital conversion of your analog
station at any time on a 1st come basis (minor
change application on FCC Form 346)

Digitally converted station protected contour
Analog station protected contour
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Option 2

Seek digital companion channel for transitional
dual analog digital station operations
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Pro Offer digital service without losing
audience receiving analog service
Cons (1) Economics of running analog and
digital station and (2) initial digital audience
may possibly be small

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Digital Companion Channel Window

• Auction window procedures
• Eligibility limited to permittees and licensees
  of LPTV, TV translator and Class A stations
• Class A station licensees will be filing for a
  digital LPTV stations
• Third DTV periodic review proceeding will
  consider how and when to permit Class A licensees
  to seek digital companion channels with Class A
  primary status or to convert LPTV companion
  channel to Class A status.

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Digital Companion Channel Window

• No geographic filing restrictions
• Single digital companion channel for each
  existing analog station (paired analog/digital
  license)
• Same community of license as analog station
• At a time to be determined later, must return one
  of the paired channels to the Commission

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First-Come-First Serve Application Filing
Option 3 (begins some time after the companion
channel window)

• Will be announced by public notice
• Not limited to incumbents

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How will mutually exclusive applications be
handled?

• Digital LPTV or TV translator applications that
  are mutually exclusive with each other or analog
  station applications will be subject to the
  auction process
• opportunity to resolve by settlement or
  engineering solutions

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• Mutually exclusive digital Class A applications
  (e.g., on-channel conversion) are exempt from
  auction
• Provide opportunity for resolution of mutual
  exclusivity by engineering solution or settlement
  
• Dismiss applications if mutual exclusivity not
  resolved

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What are the priorities with respect to
displacement relief applications?

• Analog and digital displacement relief
  applications have priority over applications for
  new or modified digital facilities, including
  digital conversion applications
• May file for a replacement channel and on-channel
  digital conversion in the same application

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What are the priorities with respect to
displacement relief applications?

• Digital displacement applications have priority
  over analog displacement applications
• When mutually exclusive, the lower priority
  application will be dismissed

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Three years for digitally converted analog
stations and new digital stations
How much time will I have to build a digital
station?
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Extensions of Time

• Apply DTV extension policies and procedures,
  rather than tolling of permit
• Demonstration of construction delays due to
  circumstances beyond permittees control and that
  all reasonable steps were taken to overcome
  delays
• May base extension on financial hardship
• Media Bureau may grant two six-month extensions
  requests for additional extensions referred for
  Commission action

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What TV channels are available for digital LPTV
service?

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Channels 52-59

• Not available for further applications for analog
  stations, except those related to channel
  displacement relief
• Available for
• digital conversion of existing analog stations
• digital companion channels, if no suitable
  in-core channel is available

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Channels 52-59

• Must notify in writing potentially affected
  co-channel and adjacent channel commercial
  wireless licensees within 30 days of filing FCC
  Form 346
• May continue to operate without technically
  conflicting with the operations of a wireless
  licensee

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Channels 52-59

• Existing or future wireless licensee may serve
  notice of potential conflict within 120 days of
  commencing new or modified operation

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Channels 52-59

• LPTV or translator station must cease operating
  within 120 days of receiving notice unless
• start of wireless service is delayed
• agreement is reached with wireless licensee or
• FCC request for stay is granted

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Channels 60-69

• By law, channels 60-69 must be vacated by end of
  the full-service DTV transition
• Channels 63,64,68 69 are allocated for public
  safety use

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Channels 60-69

• Not available for further applications for analog
  stations, except those related to displacement
  relief
• Available only for digital conversion of existing
  analog stations (not as a digital companion
  channel)

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Channels 60-69

• Must notify in writing potentially affected
  co-channel and adjacent channel commercial
  wireless licensees and adjacent channel public
  safety entities within 30 days of filing FCC Form
  346
• Same conflict resolution procedure with
  commercial licensees as for channels 52-59

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Channels 60-69

• Must secure coordinated use agreement with public
  safety frequency administrators before filing
  application
• Regional Planning Committee(s)
• State Interoperability Executive Committee(s)
• Must cease operating if station causes
  interference to public safety operations

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• If and when must Class A, LPTV, and TV
  translators convert to digital and cease analog
  transmissions?

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Findings

• Class A, LPTV and TV translator stations must
  ultimately convert to digital
• FCC has discretion to set separate analog
  transmission end-date for these stations
• Less disruptive to set date some fixed time after
  the deadline for full-service stations
• Cant set that date until certain full-service
  transition issues are resolved

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End of Full-Service DTV Transition
December 31, 2006 or when 85 of homes in a
market can receive DTV signals
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DTV transition extended for any requesting
station in any market if the FCC finds that -

• Major network station (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC)
  justifiably not broadcasting in DTV signal or
• Digital-to-analog converter technology not
  generally available or otherwise,
• 15 or more of the TV households in a market do
  not have the capability to receive the digital
  signals of the TV stations licensed in that
  market.

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LPTV/Class A Transition Deadline Deferred

• Will consider in the FCCs 3rd DTV periodic
  review proceeding -
• establishing a deadline and/or other criteria
  for the digital conversion of LPTV, TV
  translator, and Class A stations

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Goal

• We seek to hasten their transition to digital
  service and will work toward the goal of
  achieving an end-date at, or soon after, the
  end-date of the full-service transition.

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What happens next?

• Publish summary of digital LPTV Report and Order
  in the Federal Register (F.R.)
• Digital LPTV service rules become effective 60
  days after publication in the F.R.
• Obtain OMB approval of revised FCC Forms 346 and
  301-CA (information collection-related rules
  become effective)
• Develop CDBS to accommodate digital LPTV
• Develop interference software (OET 69 methods
  tailored for LPTV)

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When can digital conversion minor change
applications be filed?
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When will the digital companion channel window
take place?
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Your Path to DTV
Rules Adopted!
Authorization
On-the-Air
Watch Digital Community TV
Consumer Reception Acceptance
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Thanks for listening !
Questions?
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• To obtain FCC documents go to www.fcc.gov
• For digital LPTV Report and Order
• On the FCC home page, scroll to headlines for
  9/30/04 and click on FCC Establishes Rules for
  Digital Low Power and Television Translator
  Stations
• Also check out FCC web site www.dtv.gov

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CBA 2004
KEITH.LARSON_at_fcc.gov FCC Media Bureau
[phone]