The Truth about Free Television

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 74

[DA 03-622; RM-10666]

National Translation Association's Petition for Rulemaking To
Establish a Rural Translator Service

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule; petition for rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Media Bureau (``Bureau'') seeks comment on a proposal to
establish a ``Rural Translator Service.'' The National Translator
Association asserts that implementation of this service will help to
ensure the delivery of broadcast services to rural areas. According to
National Translator Association, the Commission's goals of
transitioning broadcast television from analog to digital service,
providing for availability and attendant benefits of high definition
television, and providing for free over-the-air broadcast television,
both commercial and non-commercial, can only be accomplished in rural
areas by the use of translator stations.

DATES: Comments due on or before May 16, 2003. Reply comments due on or
before June 16, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20554. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for filing
instructions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brad Lerner (202) 418-7066, Video
Division, Media Bureau.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a synopsis of the Commission's
Public Notice, RM-10666, released March 6, 2003. The full text of this
Public Notice is available for inspection and copying during normal
business hours in the FCC Reference Room, Room CY-A257, Portals II, 445
12th Street, SW., Washington, DC, and also may be purchased from the
Commission's copy contractor, Qualex International, Portals II, 445
12th Street, SW., Room CY B402, Washington, DC 20554.

Synopsis of Public Notice

    The National Translator Association (``NTA'') seeks to establish a
``Rural Translator Service.'' Among other things, NTA proposes that in
order for an applicant to apply in this ``Rural Translator Service,''
it must propose a translator that can provide a signal to an area in
which its residents are unable to receive at least four ``free''
primary over-the-air television signals, based on a combination of
predictive methods. For areas outside the predicted Grade B contour of
a television station, the NTA would presume that no service is
received. For areas within a predicted Grade B contour, applicants
would be permitted to use the ``Longley Rice Terrain Dependant
Population Count'' and the methods prescribed in the FCC Office of
Engineering and Technology Bulletin 69 (``OET 69'') to show that actual
service is not available. NTA also proposes to limit the effective
radiated power of these stations to 1 kilowatt for UHF Translators and
100 watts for VHF Translators. The NTA proposes that applications for
stations in the Rural Translator Service be processed on an expedited
basis using a ``one-day rolling window or day-by-day cutoff procedures
for mutually exclusive applications'' in lieu of the Commission's
filing window procedures for the Low Power Television Service.
    Pursuant to sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission's rules, 47
CFR 1.415, 1.419, interested parties may file comments on or before May
16, 2003, and reply comments on or before June 16, 2003. Comments may
be filed using the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS)
or by filing paper