The Association of Public Television Stations urged the...
The Association of Public Television Stations urged the FCC to consider the importance of universal service as it relates to TV translators and white-space areas in connection with the upcoming spectrum incentive auction. APTS, PBS and the Corporation for Public…
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Broadcasting recommended that “spectrum clearing in low occupancy markets not exceed major market recovery,” APTS said in an ex parte filing (http://bit.ly/14iZDDF). It recounted a meeting with representatives from the public broadcasting entities, staff from the Media, Enforcement and Wireless bureaus and the Office of Engineering. A selection priority should be adopted “for any displacement applications of public television translators,” and “out-of-core” operation should be permitted to prevent spectrum from lying fallow, “with no set transition deadline but with a cessation mechanism similar to that used following the digital transition,” said APTS. The commission also should design the reverse auction to prevent the creation of a major market white area “with no service from a qualified noncommercial educational TV station,” it said. The entities also addressed the funding for relocation, “including the importance of advancing payments to stations for repacking costs, ensuring that the costs incurred by noncommercial licensees are fully covered by the fund, and not providing reimbursement on a first-come, first-served basis,” said the association.