[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 82 (Thursday, April 28, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 25196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-08607]


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

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 73

[MB Docket No. 22-150; RM-11926; DA 22-403; FRS 82844]


Television Broadcasting Services Augusta, Maine

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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

SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) has 
before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Maine Public Broadcasting 
Corporation (Petitioner), the licensee of WCBB, channel *10, Augusta, 
Maine. The Petitioner requests the substitution of channel *20 for 
channel *10 at Augusta in the Table of Allotments.

DATES: Comments must be filed on or before May 31, 2022 and reply 
comments on or before June 13, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, Office of the Secretary, 
45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. In addition to filing comments 
with the FCC, interested parties should serve counsel for the 
Petitioner as follows: Derek Teslik, Esq., Gray Miller Persh, 2233 
Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In support, the Petitioner states that the 
proposed channel substitution would serve the public interest, since 
WCBB is one of only two full power stations in the market to broadcast 
on a VHF channel, and moving the Station to a UHF channel would improve 
the community's access to WCBB's Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and 
other public television programming by improving indoor reception. 
According to Petitioner, although the proposed channel *20 facilities 
will result in a slight reduction in the Station's predicted population 
served, much of the predicted loss area is located outside the State of 
Maine and the vast majority is served by Petitioner's stations WMEB-TV, 
Orono, Maine, and WMEA-TV, Biddeford, Maine, or by other PBS member 
stations, WENH-TV, Durham, New Hampshire, WLED-TV, Littleton, New 
Hampshire, and WVTB, St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Petitioner further states 
that once terrain-limitations are factored into the analysis, the new 
loss area that would be created by the proposed substitution would 
contain 144 persons, which it asserts is well below the level the 
Commission considers de minimis in the context of considering 
impermissible loss of service. Since the proposed facility is located 
within the Canadian coordination zone, concurrence from the Canadian 
government must be obtained for this allotment.
    This is a synopsis of the Commission's Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking, MB Docket No. 22-150; RM-11926; DA 22-403, adopted April 
13, 2022, and released April 13, 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 Maine by 
changing *10 to *20 in the entry for Augusta to read as follows:


Sec.  73.622   Digital television table of allotments.

* * * * *
    (j) * * *

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Community                           Channel No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                * * * * *
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  MAINE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Augusta.................................................            * 20
 
                                * * * * *
------------------------------------------------------------------------

[FR Doc. 2022-08607 Filed 4-27-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P