Northeast Gospel Broadcasting, Inc., Grace Worship Center, Inc., EICB-TV West, LLC, the National Translator Association, and the Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance (collectively, the “LPTV & Translator Parties”) filed a statement to the Federal Communications Commission outlining the issues with the FCC’s Incentive Auction Transaction Scheduling Plan and offering a three-step plan of reform on Oct. 31.

The LPTV & Translator Parties commented on the FCC’s negligence of considering LPTV needs, such as the lack of time LPTV stations have to file for a channel change.

“The FCC Incentive Auction is proceeding as planned,” said Louis Libin, ATBA Executive Director. “The LPTV industry will continue to be a thriving, viable business; in most cases, better with ATSC 3.0. The three requests we ask in this filing are all fair and reasonable and we hope the FCC will grant them and demonstrate that they recognize that in spite of the fact that within the auction there are many players and moving parts, the licensed LPTV business is one that will continue post-auction.”

For reform, the LPTV & Translator Parties present a three step process to help the FCC’s Plan correct its previous negligence:

  1. Permit LPTV and TV Translators to obtain authorization to operate on temporary channels during the transition;
  2. Permit LPTV and TV Translators to remain silent for more than 12 months pursuant to the FCC’s discretionary authority in Section 312(g) of the Communications Act “to promote equity and fairness;” and
  3. Permit LPTV and TV Translator licensees and permittees to specify a transmitter site location in its displacement application that is up to 250 miles from the facility’s current transmitter site location.

“An important Coalition of LPTV and Translator broadcasters joined together to simply ask the FCC for fair treatment,” Randy Weiss of EICB-TV said. “The regulatory agency that has caused us so much distress, could now repair some of the damage they have done. If granted, this formal request would ameliorate some of our hardship and do no harm to anyone.”

Click here for a copy of the filing.

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