The FCC Thurs. rejected a request by the Society of Bcst. Enginee...
The FCC Thurs. rejected a request by the Society of Bcst. Engineers, MSTV and NAB to delay coordination procedures for fixed broadcast auxiliary service (BAS) radio stations above 944 MHz and BAS TV stations above 2110 MHz. The rules,…
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therefore, took effect that day. SBE, MSTV and NAB had asked the FCC to delay the rules for at least 6 months, arguing that prior coordination notice (PCN) rules would be “almost meaningless,” given lingering inaccuracies in the FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) legacy database. The groups said problems with the legacy database wouldn’t guarantee that coordination efforts would head off interference to existing licenses. MSTV and NAB asked for a 6-month stay; SBE asked for a year. The FCC had granted a 6 month stay in April, pushing back their effective date until Oct. On Thurs. the Commission said that while the database issues SBE raised remain a concern, there was no indication additional time would resolve them. The FCC also agreed with the National Spectrum Managers Assn., which objected to the stay request, that coordination efforts could be successful in spite of an incomplete or inaccurate database, as the coordination effort itself served as an opportunity for parties to correct inaccuracies or deficiencies. To encourage TV and radio stations to file applications for modifications, the FCC said it would allow stations to file modifications even if they weren’t involved in a coordination effort, provided the application dealt only with missing data. “We believe that when the coordination rules become effective, licensees will be motivated to provide this information because they will be acting in their own self- interest to avoid interference,” the FCC said.