[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 147 (Wednesday, July 31, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 61354-61355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16870]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 73

[MB Docket No. 24-112; RM-11981; DA 24-720; FR ID 235234]


Television Broadcasting Services Jacksonville, Florida

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in response to a Petition for 
Rulemaking filed by Multimedia Holdings Corporation (Petitioner or 
Multimedia), the licensee of WTLV (Station or WTLV), channel 13, 
Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville). The Petitioner has requested the 
substitution of UHF channel 33 for VHF channel 13 in the Table of TV 
Allotments. TEGNA Inc., on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary, 
Multimedia, filed comments in support of the Petition, as required by 
the Commission's rules (rules), reaffirming Multimedia's commitment to 
apply for channel 33 and, if authorized, to promptly implement the 
facilities modifications necessary for the Station to operate on 
channel 33.

DATES: Effective July 31, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joyce Bernstein, Media Bureau, at 
(202) 418-1647 or [email protected], or Mark Colombo, Media 
Bureau, at (202) 418-7611 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed rule was published at 89 FR 
31125 on April 24, 2024. The Petitioner filed comments in support of 
the petition reaffirming its commitment to apply for channel 33. No 
other comments were filed.
    The Bureau believes the public interest would be served by 
substituting channel 33 for channel 13 at Jacksonville. According to 
the Petitioner, the Station has received persistent reception 
complaints from viewers, many of whom state that they can receive 
signals from other local stations on UHF channels, but not WTLV on VHF 
channel 13. 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, and that although VHF 
reception issues are not universal, ``environmental noise blockages 
affecting [VHF] signal strength and reception exist'' and ``[vary] 
widely from service area to service area. Additionally, the Petitioner 
notes that the Commission has observed the large variability in the 
performance of indoor antennas available to consumers, with most 
antennas receiving ``fairly well at UHF and . . . not so well to very 
poor at high-VHF.'' WTLV is an NBC network affiliate and while an 
analysis provided by the Petitioner indicates that the Station's move 
to channel 33 will result in 274,303 persons no longer being located 
within the Station's noise limited service contour (NLSC), all but 
16,737 persons in the predicted loss area are within the NLSC of three 
other NBC affiliated TV stations. Further, when the Commission's 
TVStudy software is run for the Station's licensed and proposed 
facility with the ``Study Area Mode'' set to ``unrestricted'' to 
predict coverage outside the proposed channel 33 NLSC, all viewers in 
the remaining predicted loss area would continue to receive over-the-
air NBC network programming from WTLV on channel 33. Thus, once service 
provided by other NBC stations and the terrain-limited coverage 
predictions are taken into account, we find that the proposed channel 
33 facility will result in no loss of NBC service to existing viewers 
within the Station's current NLSC.
    We also find that the proposal complies with all relevant technical 
requirements for amendment of the Table of TV Allotments, including the 
interference protection requirements of Sec.  73.622(a) of the rules, 
and further demonstrates that the proposed channel 33 facility will 
provide full principal community coverage to Jacksonville as required 
by Sec.  73.618 of the rules. In fact, this channel substitution from 
VHF to UHF will help improve service to existing viewers, including 
those in the Station's principal community of license, by eliminating 
reception issues related to the Station's current operation on a high-
VHF channel. As proposed, channel 33 can be substituted for channel 13 
at Jacksonville in compliance with the principal community coverage 
requirements of Sec.  73.618(a) of the rules, at coordinates 30-16'-
25'' N. and 81-33'-12'' W. In addition, we find that this channel 
change meets the technical requirements set forth in Sec.  73.622(a) of 
the rules.
    This is a synopsis of the Commission's Report and Order, MB Docket 
No. 24-112; RM-11981; DA 24-720, adopted July 24, 2024, and released 
July 24, 2024. The full text of this document is available for download 
at https://www.fcc.gov/edocs. To request materials in accessible 
formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic 
files, audio format), send an email to [email protected] or call the 
Consumer & Governmental 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.
    The Commission will send a copy of the Report and Order in a report 
to be sent to Congress and the Government Accountability Office 
pursuant to the

[[Page 61355]]

Congressional Review Act, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A).

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73 Television.

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

Final Rule

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal 
Communications Commission amends 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 TV Allotments, under Florida, 
by revising the entry for ``Jacksonville'' 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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                                * * * * *
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                                 Florida
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                                * * * * *
Jacksonville..............................  * 9, 14, 18, 19, 20, * 21,
                                             33.
 
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[FR Doc. 2024-16870 Filed 7-30-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P