* (for maybe another couple of weeks, probably)
And the target continues to move as the Commission works to sharpen its analytical pencils. Less than a month after Version 1.2.7 of TVStudy was released, lookee here – there’s a new and improved version. The Office of Engineering and Technology has announced Version 1.2.8, hot off the presses and ready for test drives. (At the risk of stating the obvious, TVStudy is the software that will be used in the modeling and analysis necessary to repack the TV spectrum.)
With the new version, we should all be able to “apply mechanical beam tilt only to stations having real antenna elevation patterns (either licensee-supplied elevation patterns in CDBS or user-entered patterns)”. According to OET, Version 1.2.8 also “adds logic to choose the higher of the radio horizon or maximum values for effective radiated power for low-power stations (including Class A)”. Plus, let’s not overlook the fact that the new version “improves compatibility with Oracle’s Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 7” and “corrects an issue with scenario template exportation.” And those are just the highlights – check out the “Upgrade Guide and Change Log” for the full scoop.
Meanwhile, for those who are perhaps less technically inclined, the FCC has separately announced a workshop on September 30, 2013 on “issues surrounding the reassignment of television stations after the incentive auction.” This time around, those issues will include the types of reimbursable costs TV licensees can expect to run into in the repacking process, and also how broadcasters can “coordinate among themselves to mitigate costs and ensure the most efficient transition to new frequencies.” The show is scheduled to run from 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room. It’ll also be streamed at http://www.fcc.gov/live as part of the FCC’s “Learn Everything About Reverse Auctions Now” Program. (Yes, that would be the LEARN program, acronymically speaking.)
