If you’re an LPTV, Class A TV or TV translator licensee and you haven’t gotten around to filing for displacement facilities (or, in the case of translators, digital replacement translator (DRT) facilities), we’ve got bad news for you: effective immediately (that is, as of June 11, 2014), the Media Bureau has put a freeze on such filings. While the abrupt announcement of an in-effect-immediately freeze is always a bit surprising, the reason underlying the freeze is not. It’s necessary to ensure a static frequency landscape as the FCC gears up for the incentive auction.
Unlike many other freezes, this one is not expected to cause much disruption. That’s because, given the fact that the television digital transition was largely completed nearly five years ago, the Bureau figures that “there should be little occasion for new DRT and displacement applications to be filed.”
The freeze will remain in effect until after the incentive auction is completed. The Bureau will then announce a special filing window to be opened for existing DRT, LPTV, and TV translator stations displaced by the incentive auction-induced channel repacking.
This is not what you might call a Han Solo-in-carbonite freeze – there is a little wiggle room. During the freeze, LPTV and TV translators will be able to request a waiver to seek displacement if they can demonstrate that they are causing or receiving “new actual” interference to or from a full power television station. Here’s what the Commission has to say about “new actual interference”:
By “new” interference, we mean interference that is a result of the initiation of new or modified service by a full power station during the freeze. To qualify for the waiver, the displacement applicant must demonstrate either actual interference within the noise limited contour of the full power station or actual interference to the displacement applicant’s LPTV or TV translator station, either of which will result in the immediate loss of service to viewers, thus necessitating the grant of its application.
This waiver opportunity will not ordinarily extend to applications for new DRTs or Class A displacements. The need for such facilites has presumably already been identified and addressed.
The Bureau will continue to process DRT and displacement applications already on file prior to June 11. Also, during the freeze the Bureau will accept minor change applications and applications for digital flash cut and digital companion channels filed by existing LPTV and TV translator and Class A stations.
