March 22, 2016 — The Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance (ATBA) applauds the state of Utah on their commitment to provide free television access to the citizens of Utah.
Last week, Utah Governor Gary Herbert sent to Washington a signed resolution passed by him and the Utah Legislature to direct and strongly urge the Federal government to protect the communications spectrum that allows Utah’s translator system to provide free television access across the state.
“Utah Governor Gary Herbert recently signed resolution SCR 10 as it relates to the Statewide Utah TV translator network. With the signature of Governor Herbert, this legislation clearly represents the concern, value and importance of the Utah State TV Translator system,” said Mauri Kent Parsons, Central Utah TV Translator Coordinator. “It also displays that primary stations, who translators are secondary to, when collectively working with counties, the University of Utah and other small groups can build a statewide TV translator system which makes economic sense and benefits everyone!”
The resolution strongly urges that the President of the United States and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to not remove channels 32 through 51 from the current existing FCC channels 14 through 51 Television Broadcast Authorization because of the significant negative impact that action would have on off-air television reception in urban areas and to off-air viewers nationwide, including rural viewers, who would be forced to either pay for subscription television or go without television service.
“It is very astounding and severely disappointing that the FCC has still not released any of the studies they have done on impact to LPTV and TV translators when so many thousands of small rural, ethnic and religious stations are on the FCC’s chopping block,” according to Louis Libin, executive director of the ATBA. “The FCC is legislating away a service that has no match in terms of diversity. It is time that the FCC began considering the viewers, rural, religious and ethnic before the auction indiscriminately begins shutting down these low power stations.”
ATBA is currently advocating for preserving and promoting the efficient and effective use of all television broadcast spectrum. The ATBA has laid out to Congress an economic plan that would provide the possibility of true success in a forthcoming auction predicated on next generation technologies.
The Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance is an industry organization comprised of low power television broadcasters, translators, full power television broadcasters and allied industry organizations and companies. The goal of the Alliance is to preserve and promote the efficient and effective use of all television broadcast spectrum.
