Federal Register: FCC (Broadcasting)

On April 21, 2021, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by Sinclair Media, LLC (Petitioner), the licensee of KECI-TV, channel 13 (NBC), Missoula, Montana, requesting the substitution of channel 20 for channel 13 at Missoula in the DTV Table of Allotments. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations to substitute channel 20 for channel 13 at Missoula.

On May 17, 2021, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by WGEM License, LLC (Petitioner), the licensee of WGEM-TV, channel 10 (NBC), Quincy, Illinois, requesting the substitution of channel 19 for channel 10 at Quincy in the DTV Table of Allotments. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations to substitute channel 19 for channel 10 at Quincy.

On April 21, 2021, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by Sinclair Media Licensee, LLC (Petitioner), the licensee of KRCR-TV, channel 7 (ABC), Redding, California, requesting the substitution of channel 15 for channel 7 at Redding in the DTV Table of Allotments. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations to substitute channel 15 for channel 7 at Redding.

On April 26, 2021, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by Sinclair Media Licensee, LLC (Petitioner), the licensee of KTVM-TV (NBC), channel 6, Butte, Montana, requesting the substitution of channel 20 for channel 6 at Butte in the DTV Table of Allotments. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations to substitute channel 20 for channel 6 at Butte.

On April 21, 2021, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by the Greater New Orleans Educational Television Foundation (Petitioner), the licensee of noncommercial educational PBS member station WYES-TV, channel *11, New Orleans, Louisiana, requesting the substitution of channel *28 for channel *11 at New Orleans in the DTV Table of Allotments. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations to substitute channel *28 for channel *11 at New Orleans.

The Office of Economics and Analytics and the Media Bureau announce a closed auction of construction permits for new or modified low power television (LPTV) stations and TV translator stations (collectively, LPTV/translator stations). This document seeks comment on the procedures to be used for this auction, which is designated as Auction 111.

Petitions for Reconsideration (Petitions) have been filed in the Commission's rulemaking proceeding by Paul Margie, Paul Caritj, and Jason Neal, Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP, on behalf of Microsoft Corporation.

On April 16, 2021, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by Sinclair Boise Licensee, LLC (Petitioner), the licensee of KBOI-TV, channel 9 (NBC), Boise, Idaho, requesting the substitution of channel 20 for channel 9 at Boise in the DTV Table of Allotments. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations to substitute channel 20 for channel 9 at Boise.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopts an Order on Reconsideration (Order) to consider petitions for reconsideration filed in response to revisions of technical rules that primarily affect Low Power FM (LPFM) radio stations.

On April 14, 2021, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by Four Seasons Peoria, LLC (Petitioner), requesting an amendment of the DTV Table of Allotments to delete channel 10 at Peoria, Illinois, substitute channel 10 at Oswego, Illinois, and modify the WAOE license to specify Oswego as its community of license. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, channel 10 is deleted from Peoria, Illinois, and allotted to Oswego, Illinois. Further, WAOE's community of license is modified to Oswego, Illinois.

On April 5, 2021, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by Sinclair Licensee, LLC (Petitioner), the licensee of WCYB-TV, channel 5 (NBC), Bristol, Virginia, requesting the substitution of channel 35 for channel 5 at Bristol in the DTV Table of Allotments. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations to substitute channel 35 for channel 5 at Bristol.

In this document, the Commission aims to enhance the spectral efficiency of wireless microphones by permitting a recently developed type of wireless microphone system, termed herein as a Wireless Multi- Channel Audio System (WMAS), to operate in certain frequency bands. This emerging technology would enable more wireless microphones to operate in the spectrum available for wireless microphone operations, and thus advances an important Commission goal of promoting efficient spectrum use. The Commission proposes to revise the applicable technical rules for operation of low-power auxiliary station (LPAS) devices to permit WMAS to operate in the broadcast television (TV) bands and other LPAS frequency bands on a licensed basis. The Commission also proposes to update the existing LPAS and wireless microphone rules to reflect the end of the post-Incentive auction transition period and update references to international wireless microphone standards.

In this document, consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in FCC v. Prometheus Radio Project, the Media Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission reinstates the rule changes that were previously adopted by the Commission in its media ownership proceedings but then vacated and remanded by the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019. As such, the Newspaper/Broadcast Cross-Ownership Rule, the Radio/Television Cross-Ownership Rule, and the Television Joint Sales Agreement Attribution Rule are eliminated, and the Local Television Ownership Rule and Local Radio Ownership Rule are reinstated as adopted in the Commission's 2017 Order on Reconsideration. In addition, the eligible entity standard and its application to regulatory measures as set forth in the Commission's 2016 Second Report and Order are reinstated. Finally, the regulatory measures adopted in the Commission's 2018 Incubator Order are reinstated.

The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by VPM Media Corporation (Petitioner), the licensee of noncommercial educational television station WVPT (PBS), channel *11, Staunton, Virginia. The Petitioner requests the substitution of channel *15 for channel *11 at Staunton in the DTV Table of Allotments.

On April 5, 2021, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by WRGB Licensee, LLC (Petitioner), the licensee of WRGB, channel 6 (CBS), Schenectady, New York, requesting the substitution of channel 35 for channel 6 at Schenectady in the DTV Table of Allotments. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations to substitute channel 35 for channel 6 at Schenectady.

On April 14, 2021, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by Gray Television Licensee, LLC (Petitioner), requesting the allotment of channel 9 to Freeport, Illinois in the DTV Table of Allotments as the community's first local service. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations to allot channel 9 at Freeport. The newly allotted channel will be authorized pursuant to the Commission's competitive bidding rules.

The Federal Communications Commission published a document in the Federal Register of June 16, 2021, concerning a petition for rulemaking filed by KHQA Licensee, LLC, licensee of KHQA-TV, channel 7, Hannibal, Missouri, requesting the substitution of UHF channel 22 for VHF channel 7 in the DTV Table of Allotments. The document contained the incorrect call sign of the licensee. The document also contained an incomplete email address of the contact person.

The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Corridor Television, L.L.P. (Petitioner), the licensee of KCWX (MyNetwork), channel 5, Fredericksburg, Texas. The Petitioner requests the substitution of channel 8 for channel 5 at Fredericksburg in the DTV Table of Allotments.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) modifies its rules to adopt specific disclosure requirements for broadcast programming that is sponsored, paid for, or provided by a foreign government or its representative pursuant to leasing agreements.

On March 7, 2021, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by KHQA Licensee, LLC (Licensee), the licensee of KMYU, channel 7 (CBS), Hannibal, Missouri, requesting the substitution of channel 22 for channel 7 at Hannibal in the DTV Table of Allotments. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations to substitute channel 22 for channel 7 at Hannibal.