[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 121 (Monday, June 24, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 52430-52431]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13692]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 73

[MB Docket No. 24-152; RM-11982; DA 24-558; FR ID 226621]


Television Broadcasting Services Boise, Idaho

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a 
petition for rulemaking filed May 10, 2024, by King Broadcasting 
Company (Petitioner), the licensee of KTVB, channel 7, Boise, Idaho 
(Station or KTVB). The Petitioner requests the substitution of channel 
23 for channel 7 at Boise, Idaho (Boise), in the Table of TV 
Allotments.

DATES: Comments must be filed on or before July 24, 2024 and reply 
comments on or before August 8, 2024.

[[Page 52431]]


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: Michael Beder, Esq., Associate General Counsel, 
TEGNA Inc., 8350 Broad Street, Suite 2000, Tysons, Virginia 22102.

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 substitution 
request, the Petitioner states that its proposed channel substitution 
would serve the public interest by resolving persistent reception 
complaints it has received from viewers, and substantially improve the 
Boise community's access to the Station's local news, emergency, NBC 
network, and other programming. The Petitioner states that the 
Commission has recognized that VHF channels have certain 
characteristics that pose challenges for their use in providing digital 
television service, including propagation characteristics that allow 
undesired signals and noise to be receivable at relatively far 
distances. Additionally, the Petitioner notes that the Commission has 
observed ``large variability in the performance (especially intrinsic 
gain) of indoor antennas available to consumers, with most antennas 
receiving fairly well at UHF and the substantial majority not so well 
to very poor at high-VHF.'' An engineering statement provided by the 
Petitioner confirms that the proposed channel 23 contour would provide 
full principal community coverage to Boise and would not cause 
impermissible interference to any station. In addition, the proposed 
channel 23 facility will not result in any loss of service to existing 
viewers within the Station's noise limited service contour (NLSC).
    We believe that the Petitioner's channel substitution proposal for 
KTVB warrants consideration. Channel 23 can be substituted for channel 
7 at Boise as proposed, in compliance with the principal community 
coverage requirements of section 73.618(a) of the Commission's rules 
(rules), at coordinates 43-45'-15.6'' N and 116-05'-59.4'' W. In 
addition, we find that this channel change meets the technical 
requirements set forth in section 73.622(a) of the rules. The proposal 
would not result in loss of service to any viewers within the Station's 
existing NLSC.
    This is a synopsis of the Commission's Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking, MB Docket No. 24-152; RM-11982; DA 24-558, adopted June 13, 
2024, and released June 13, 2024. 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 Sections 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.
    Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act: The Providing 
Accountability Through Transparency Act, Public Law 118-9, requires 
each agency, in providing notice of a rulemaking, to post online a 
brief plain-language summary of the proposed rule. The required summary 
of this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking/Further Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking is available at https://www.fcc.gov/proposed-rulemakings.

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 SERVICE

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, in the table in paragraph (j), under Idaho, amend 
by revising the entry for Boise to read as follows:


Sec.  73.622   Digital television table of allotments.

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    (j) * * *

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                        Community                           Channel No.
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                                * * * * *
                                  Idaho
 
                                * * * * *
Boise...................................................  15, 20, 21, 23
 
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[FR Doc. 2024-13692 Filed 6-21-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P