83 FR 6020 - Partial Lift of Freeze on Filing Petitions for Rulemaking To Change Television Stations Community of License

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 29 (February 12, 2018)

This document announces that the Media Bureau is partially lifting the freeze on filing rulemaking petitions to change a full power television station's community of license, where no technical facility change is required.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 29 (Monday, February 12, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6020-6021]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-02794]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[DA 18-40]


Partial Lift of Freeze on Filing Petitions for Rulemaking To 
Change Television Stations Community of License

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This document announces that the Media Bureau is partially 
lifting the freeze on filing rulemaking petitions to change a full 
power television station's community of license, where no technical 
facility change is required.

DATES: February 12, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joyce Bernstein, 
[email protected], or Kevin Harding, [email protected], Video 
Division, Media Bureau, Federal Communications Commission.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 3, 2004, in connection with the 
development of a channel election and repacking process in advance of 
the DTV transition, the Media Bureau imposed a freeze on the filing of 
petitions requesting new channels or service areas for full power 
television stations in order to ensure a stable database in connection 
with that process. Although the DTV transition was completed in 2009, 
the Commission continued the freezes as a result of the National 
Broadband Plan, which recommended that the Commission reallocate 
spectrum for new broadband services and repack television channels to 
increase the efficiency of channel use. Auction 1000, which was 
conducted pursuant to Title VI of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 
Creation Act of 2012, was completed on April 13, 2017, and a 39-month 
post-auction transition period is underway during which some broadcast 
television stations will be relicensed to new channel assignments.
    Because the DTV transition is complete and the post-incentive 
auction transition is underway, it is no longer necessary to freeze 
community of license petitions that do not require a change in the 
station's service area. The freeze on the filing of petitions for 
rulemaking for new station channel allotments, for changes in licensed

[[Page 6021]]

stations' channels, or to change community of license which include 
changes in authorized technical facilities, remain in place.

Federal Communications Commission.
Barbara Kreisman,
Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2018-02794 Filed 2-9-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P