[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 169 (Wednesday, August 31, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 54189]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-22200]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 73

[MB Docket No. 11-139, RM-11636; DA 11-1401]


Television Broadcasting Services; Hampton-Norfolk, Virginia; 
Norfolk, Virginia-Elizabeth City, NC

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed 
by Hampton Roads Educational Telecommunications Association 
(``HRETA''), the licensee of noncommercial educational television 
station WHRO-TV, channel *16, Hampton-Norfolk, Virginia, requesting the 
reallotment of its channel *16 to Norfolk, Virginia-Elizabeth City, 
North Carolina, as Elizabeth City's first local TV service. HRETA also 
requests modification of station WHRO-TV's license to specify Norfolk, 
Virginia-Elizabeth City, North Carolina as its community of license. 
There is presently a freeze on the filing of television allotment 
rulemaking petitions, but since HRETA'S proposal contemplates no 
changes in the technical specifications of WHRO-TV, a grant of its 
request for a waiver of the freeze will not undermine the underlying 
purpose of the freeze. Waiving the freeze will serve the public 
interest by moving forth with HRETA's proposal to change its community 
of license to provide Elizabeth City with its first television 
broadcast station.

DATES: Comments must be filed on or before September 30, 2011, and 
reply comments on or before October 17, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, Office of the Secretary, 
445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554. In addition to filing 
comments with the FCC, interested parties should serve counsel for 
petitioner as follows: Lauren A. Colby, Esq., 10 E. Fourth Street, P.O. 
Box 113, Frederick, Maryland 21701.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joyce L. Bernstein, 
[email protected], Media Bureau, (202) 418-1600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a synopsis of the Commission's 
Notice of Proposed Rule Making, MB Docket No. 11-139, adopted August 
15, 2011, and released August 17, 2011. The full text of this document 
is available for public inspection and copying during normal business 
hours in the FCC's Reference Information Center at Portals II, CY-A257, 
445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554. This document will also be 
available via ECFS (http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/). (Documents will be 
available electronically in ASCII, Word 97, and/or Adobe Acrobat.) This 
document may be purchased from the Commission's duplicating contractor, 
Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 445 12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, 
Washington, DC 20554, telephone 1-800-478-3160 or via e-mail http://www.BCPIWEB.com. To request this document in accessible formats 
(computer diskettes, large print, audio recording, and Braille), send 
an e-mail to [email protected] or call the Commission's Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 
(TTY). This document does not contain proposed information collection 
requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 
104-13. In addition, therefore, it does not contain any proposed 
information collection burden ``for small business concerns with fewer 
than 25 employees,'' pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief 
Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4).
    Provisions of the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 do not apply 
to this proceeding. Members of the public should note that from the 
time a Notice of Proposed Rule Making is issued until the matter is no 
longer subject to Commission consideration or court review, all ex 
parte contacts (other than ex parte presentations exempt under 47 CFR 
1.1204(a)) are prohibited in Commission proceedings, such as this one, 
which involve channel allotments. See 47 CFR 1.1208 for rules governing 
restricted proceedings.
    For information regarding proper filing procedures for comments, 
see 47 CFR 1.415 and 1.420.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

    Television, Television broadcasting.

Federal Communications Commission.
Barbara A. Kreisman,
Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau.

Proposed Rules

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal 
Communications Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR part 73 as follows:

PART 73--RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES

    1. The authority citation for part 73 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 303, 334, 336, and 339.


Sec.  73.622(i)  [Amended]

    2. Amend Sec.  73.622(i), the Post-Transition Table of DTV 
Allotments, by adding Channel *16 at Elizabeth City under North 
Carolina, deleting Channel *16 at Hampton-Norfolk under Virginia, and 
adding Channel *16 at Norfolk.

[FR Doc. 2011-22200 Filed 8-30-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P