Comments on WGEM Licensee’s request to swap to Channel 19 from 10 for WGEM-TV Quincy, Illinois, are due June 28, replies July 12, in docket 21-219, says Thursday’s Federal Register.
FCC Media Bureau approval of two channel substitutions took effect Tuesday, said that day's Federal Register. WLUK Licensee’s WLUK-TV Green Bay, Wisconsin, switched from Channel 18 to 12 and Gray Television’s KCRG-TV Cedar Rapids, switched from 9 to 32.
IHeartMedia opposes an investor's foreign ownership request, said a reply posted in docket 21-141 Tuesday. The radio group had filed a remedial petition seeking permission for foreign ownership of up to 9.99% (see 2103290057), prompted by an investment by Global Media & Entertainment Investments that “rendered iHeart non-compliant with the terms of its 2020 Declaratory Ruling and the FCC’s foreign ownership rules.” GMEI subsequently filed comments requesting the FCC instead allow the company -- controlled by U.K. citizens -- to own up to 49.99% equity and voting interest. “GMEI impermissibly seeks to substantially expand iHeart’s request for advance approval,” said iHeart. The radio broadcaster now seeks to amend its initial request to allow it to be up to 14.99% foreign owned. Foreign ownership rules require the licensee to request FCC permission, iHeart said: Granting GMEI’s request "would be tantamount to a grant of a standalone petition filed by an investor.”
The FCC Media Bureau proposed $1,500 fines for two local multipoint distribution service stations that didn’t file license renewals on time, said Monday notices of apparent liability. They concern Juan Carlos Matos’ station W15EI-D, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and H&R Production Group’s station WBWP-LD West Palm Beach, Florida.
The FCC order relaxing interference rules for distributed transmission systems was a “misstep” and “includes significant factual errors, and contradictions,” said Microsoft in a petition for reconsideration of the ATSC 3.0-friendly change posted in docket 20-74 Monday. Adopt an expedited waiver process for broadcaster use of DTS that creates signal spillover exceeding "a minimal amount," Microsoft asked. The expedited waiver proposal was endorsed by then-Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and fellow Democrat Geoffrey Starks when the DTS order was approved 3-2 in January 2021 (see 2101190078), in one of the final acts under Ajit Pai. That FCC “impermissibly overlooked the substantial impacts to TVWS [TV white spaces] from the significantly increased range of DTS signals even without interference protection,” said Microsoft: Allowing “significantly more spillover by DTS transmitters outside of a broadcaster’s service area would greatly increase interference to TVWS operations."
The FCC Media Bureau seeks comment on petitions for channel substitutions. Scripps wants to swap KTNV-TV Las Vegas from 13 to 26, and KHQA Licensee wants to change KHQA-TV Hannibal, Missouri, from 7 to 22. Comment dates will be determined by Federal Register publication. WFXL Licensee’s WFXL Albany, Georgia’s change from Channel 12 to 29 is effective Monday, says that day's FR.
The FCC Media Bureau terminated the license hearing proceeding for WJEH(AM) Gallipolis, Ohio, after Vandalia Media filed a request to dismiss its own renewal application, said an order in Thursday’s Daily Digest. The hearing was initiated over WJEH’s record of silent periods and reduced power (see 2104020047).
The FCC Media Bureau approved three channel substitutions, in orders in Thursday’s Daily Digest. KVII Licensee’s KVII-TV Amarillo, Texas, will swap from 7 to 20, KUTV Licensee’s KMYU St. George, Utah, will change from 9 to 21, and Gray Television’s KAIT Jonesboro, Arkansas, will change from 8 to 27.
Switching Sinclair’s KBOI-TV Boise to Channel 20 (see 2104270084) would let it take advantage of better propagation of UHF signals and “prospective advantages of UHF broadcasting using the ATSC 3.0 standard,” said Sinclair comments posted Wednesday in FCC docket 21-156.
FCC FY 2021 proposed regulatory fees “inexplicably require broadcasters to pay for a portion of the $33 million that Congress expressly appropriated to pay for the implementation of the Broadband DATA Act,” which “neither regulates nor benefits broadcasters” and doesn’t involve the Media Bureau, NAB told Office of Managing Director staff. "For the third year in a row, the Commission has proposed a steep increase in regulatory fees for broadcasters,” which face revenue declines from the COVID-19 pandemic, per a filing posted Wednesday in docket 21-190. The wireless industry pays a lower rate, NAB said. This is due to “the questionable exclusion of scores of” Wireless Bureau employees from the main budget and the proposal not using the full number of Wireless Bureau employees when calculating what carriers “should proportionately pay,” NAB said.