Television digest with AM-FM reports (Jan-Dec 1951)

NAB LIBRARY WITH AM~FM REPORTS WASHINGTON 6, D. C. • TELEPHONE MICHIGAN 2020 Supplement No. July 28, 1951 J Report and Order FCC Authorizes Temporary TV Power Increases Full Text of Public Notice No. 51-752 Adopted July 25, 1951, Effective Immediately Upon request for special temporary authority (STA), stations may boost effective radiated powers (ERP), thus widening coverage areas, improving signal quality, pending final decision on freeze issues; see story Vol. 7:30 In the Matters of Amendment of Section 3.606 of the Commission’s Rules and Regulations. Amendment of the Commission’s Rules, Regulations and Engineering Standards Concerning the Television Broadcast Service. Utilization of Frequencies in the Band 470 to 890 Mcs. for Television Broadcasting. FIFTH REPORT AND ORDER OF COMMISSION 1. On May 6, 1948, the Commission issued a “Notice of Proposed Rule Making” (FCC 48-1569) in the above entitled Dockets 8736 and 8975 designed to amend its Table of television channel assignments for the United States. During the hearing subsequently held by the Commission on its proposed Table, evidence was presented concerning tropospheric interference, directional transmitting antennas, increased power and mileage spacings between television stations. As a result of this evidence, an IndustryCommission Conference was held on September 13, and 14, 1948, on the following issue, among others: “If the standards are to be revised, what policy should be adopted with respect to applications now pending before the Commission.” At the conclusion of that Conference the Commission announced its plan to hold an engineering conference “to consider questions regarding revision of the Commission’s Rules, Regulations and Standards with respect to the technical phases of television allocations.” 2. On September 30, 1948, the Commission issued a “Report and Order” (FCC 48-2182), commonly referred to as the “freeze” order. By the terms of said Order, Section 1.371 of the Commission’s Rules was amended by adding footnote 8(a) thereto, reading as follows: “8a Pending further consideration of the issues in Docketc Nos. 8975 and 8736, requests for television authorizations on channels 2 through 13 will be considered in accordance with the following procedure: “(a) Applications pending before the Commission and those hereafter filed for permits to construct television stations on channels 2 through 13 will not be acted upon by the Commission but will be placed in the pending files. “(b) Applications pending before the Commission and those hereafter filed for modification of existing permits or licenses will be considered on a case-to-case basis and Commission action thereon will depend on the extent to which they are affected by the issues to be resolved in the proceedings bearing Docket Nos. 8975 and 8736. “(c) No hearing dates will be scheduled with respect to applications for construction permits which have been designated for hearing, and in cases in which hearings have been commenced or completed but decisions have not been issued, no further action will be taken. “(d) This procedure does not apply to construction permits or other television authorizations heretofore issued by the Commission.” 3. Pursuant to the provisions of subparagraph “(a)” above, no applications then pending or thereafter filed for construction permits for new television stations have been granted, and there are now on file with the Commission 420 such applications. Since December, 1948, in considering various applications before it for modification of outstanding construction permits, the Commission has clarified its intentions concerning the “case-to-case basis” specified in the subparagraph “(b)”. In passing on these applications, the Commission has not granted applications for modification of construction permits where such grants would result in increased coverage over that resulting from the effective radiated powers and antenna heights specified in the applicants’ authorizations outstanding on September 30, 1948, the date of the Commission’s “fi’eeze” j order. It has granted requests for lower powers and in ? creased antenna heights which would result in coverage i not in excess of that existing on the “freeze” date. It has ' not granted increased powers and lower antenna heights j since such increased power involved questions of increased ! troposperic interference. It has issued partial grants in accordance with the above policy. 4. On March 22, 1951, the Commission issued its “Third Notice of Further Proposed Rule Making” (FCC 51-244) in which it provided in paragraph “10” thereof the following: “10. The most important single factor which induced the issuance by the Commission of its ‘freeze’ order of September 30, 1948, was the desire to ascertain whether sufficient mileage spacing had been provided between assignments set forth in its table. On the basis of the data contained in the record of this proceeding the Commission is proposing the separations specified in the attached Appendix A. In the light of these separations the Commission proposes to take the following actions upon the expiration of the time specified in paragraph 12 herein for the filing of comments and oppositions thereto: “(a) The Commission will determine whether any issue has been raised which would prevent the lifting of the ‘freeze’ with respect to channel assignments in Alaska, Hawaiian Islands, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands. These Territories are sufficiently removed from the continental United States so as not to be involved in the separations problems of continental United States and present no assignment problem with any neighboring countries. Separations have been maintained within the Territories which j. Dockets No. 8736 & 8975 I Docket No. 9175 i Docket No. 8976 AUG 3 1951