[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 23 (Thursday, February 3, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 6100-6101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-02212]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 73

[MB Docket No. 22-30; RM-11916; DA 22-66; FR ID 69356]


Television Broadcasting Services Vernon, Alabama

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed 
by Alabama Educational Television Commission (Petitioner), requesting 
the allotment of reserved noncommercial educational channel *4 at 
Vernon, Alabama, as the community's first local service.

DATES: Comments must be filed on or before March 7, 2022 and reply 
comments on or before March 21, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, Office of the Secretary, 
45

[[Page 6101]]

L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. In addition to filing comments with 
the FCC, interested parties should serve the Petitioner as follows: M. 
Scott Johnson, Esq., Smithwick & Belendiuk, PC, 5028 Wisconsin Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joyce Bernstein, Media Bureau, at 
(202) 418-1647; or Joyce Bernstein, Media Bureau, at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In support of its channel allotment request, 
the Petitioner states that Vernon is a community deserving of a new 
television broadcast service. According to the Petitioner, Vernon (pop. 
5,551/2010 Census) has a mayor, Board of Registrars, Circuit Clerk, 
Judge Probate, Sheriff, and six-member City Council. The community also 
has police, fire, and utility departments, as well as a public library, 
regional hospital, airport, numerous businesses and places of worship, 
and its own Zip Code. In addition, the proposed allotment would allow 
the provision of noncommercial educational television service to areas 
not currently served by Alabama Educational Television Commission 
(AETC). The Petitioner states its intention to file an application for 
channel *4, if allotted, and take all necessary steps to obtain a 
construction permit. The Commission concludes the request to amend the 
Table of Allotments warrants consideration. The Petitioner's proposal 
would result in a first local service to Vernon consistent with the 
Commission's television allotment policies. Channel *4 can be allotted 
to Vernon, consistent with the minimum geographic spacing requirements 
for new digital television (DTV) allotments in Sec.  73.623(d) of the 
Commission's rules, at 33[deg]54'44.26'' N and 87[deg]48'06.20'' W. In 
addition, the allotment point complies with Sec.  73.625(a)(1) of the 
rules as the entire community of Vernon is encompassed by the 35 dB[mu] 
contour.
    This is a synopsis of the Commission's Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking, MB Docket No. 22-30; RM-11916; DA 22-30, adopted January 
20, 2022, and released January 20, 2022. The full text of this document 
is available for download at https://www.fcc.gov/edocs. To request 
materials in accessible formats (braille, large print, computer 
diskettes, or audio recordings), please send an email to [email protected] 
or call the Consumer & Government Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 
(VOICE), (202) 418-0432 (TTY).
    This document does not contain 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, 5 U.S.C. 601-612, do not apply to 
this proceeding.
    Members of the public should note that all ex parte contacts are 
prohibited from the time a notice of proposed rulemaking is issued to 
the time the matter is no longer subject to Commission consideration or 
court review, see 47 CFR 1.1208. There are, however, exceptions to this 
prohibition, which can be found in Sec.  1.1204(a) of the Commission's 
rules, 47 CFR 1.1204(a).
    See Sec. Sec.  1.415 and 1.420 of the Commission's rules for 
information regarding the proper filing procedures for comments, 47 CFR 
1.415 and 1.420.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

    Television.

Federal Communications Commission.
Thomas Horan,
Chief of Staff, Media Bureau.

Proposed Rule

    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

0
1. The authority citation for part 73 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  47 U.S.C. 154, 155, 301, 303, 307, 309, 310, 334, 
336, 339.

0
2. In Sec.  73.622(j), amend the Table of Allotments under Alabama by 
adding an entry for Vernon in alphabetical order to read as follows:


Sec.  73.622   Digital television table of allotments.

* * * * *
    (j) * * *

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                       Community                           Channel No.
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                                 ALABAMA
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                                * * * * *
Vernon.................................................             * 4
 
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[FR Doc. 2022-02212 Filed 2-2-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P