Goto Section: 73.3617 | 73.3999 | Table of Contents
FCC 73.3700
Revised as of October 2, 2015
Goto Year:2014 |
2016
§ 73.3700 Post-incentive auction licensing and operation.
(a) Definitions—(1) Broadcast television station. For purposes of this
section, broadcast television station means full power television stations
and Class A television stations.
(2) Channel reassignment public notice. For purposes of this section,
Channel Reassignment Public Notice means the public notice to be released
upon the completion of the broadcast television spectrum incentive auction
conducted under section 6403 of the Spectrum Act specifying the new channel
assignments and technical parameters of any broadcast television stations
that are reassigned to new channels.
(3) Channel sharee station. For purposes of this section, channel sharee
station means a broadcast television station for which a winning channel
sharing bid, as defined in § 1.2200(d) of this chapter, was submitted.
(4) Channel sharer station. For purposes of this section, channel sharer
station means a broadcast television station that shares its television
channel with a channel sharee.
(5) Channel sharing agreement (CSA). For purposes of this section, channel
sharing agreement or CSA means an executed agreement between the licensee of
a channel sharee station or stations and the licensee of a channel sharer
station governing the use of the shared television channel.
(6) High-VHF-to-Low-VHF station. For purposes of this section,
High-VHF-to-Low-VHF station means a broadcast television station for which a
winning high-VHF-to-low-VHF bid, as defined in § 1.2200(f) of this chapter,
was submitted.
(7) License relinquishment station. For purposes of this section, license
relinquishment station means a broadcast television station for which a
winning license relinquishment bid, as defined in § 1.2200(g) of this
chapter, was submitted.
(8) MVPD. For purposes of this section, MVPD means a person such as, but not
limited to, a cable operator, a multichannel multipoint distribution
service, a direct broadcast satellite service, or a television receive-only
satellite program distributor, who makes available for purchase, by
subscribers or customers, multiple channels of video programming as set
forth in section 602 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 522).
(9) Pre-auction channel. For purposes of this section, pre-auction channel
means the channel that is licensed to a broadcast television station on the
date that the Channel Reassignment Public Notice is released.
(10) Predetermined cost estimate. For purposes of this section,
predetermined cost estimate means the estimated cost of an eligible expense
as generally determined by the Media Bureau in a catalog of expenses
eligible for reimbursement.
(11) Post-auction channel. For purposes of this section, post-auction
channel means the channel specified in the Channel Reassignment Public
Notice or a channel authorized by the Media Bureau in a construction permit
issued after the date that the Channel Reassignment Public Notice is
released under the procedures set forth in paragraph (b) of this section.
(12) Reassigned station. For purposes of this section, a reassigned station
means a broadcast television station that is reassigned to a new channel in
the Channel Reassignment Public Notice, not including channel sharing
stations, UHF-to-VHF stations, or High-VHF-to-Low-VHF stations.
(13) Reimbursement period. For purposes of this section, reimbursement
period means the period ending three years after the completion of the
forward auction pursuant to section 6403(b)(4)(D) of the Spectrum Act.
(14) Spectrum Act. The term Spectrum Act means Title VI of the Middle Class
Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-96).
(15) Transitioning station. For purposes of this section, a transitioning
station means a:
(i) Reassigned station,
(ii) UHF-to-VHF station,
(iii) High-VHF-to-Low-VHF station,
(iv) License relinquishment station, or
(v) A channel sharee or sharer station.
(16) TV broadcaster relocation fund. For purposes of this section, the TV
Broadcaster Relocation Fund means the fund established by section 6403(d)(1)
of the Spectrum Act.
(17) UHF-to-VHF station. For purposes of this section, UHF-to-VHF station
means a television station for which a winning UHF-to-VHF bid, as defined in
§ 1.2200(l) of this chapter, was submitted.
(b) Post-auction licensing—(1) Construction permit applications. (i)
Licensees of reassigned stations, UHF-to-VHF stations, and
High-VHF-to-Low-VHF stations must file a minor change application for a
construction permit for the channel specified in the Channel Reassignment
Public Notice using FCC Form 301, 301-CA, or 340 within three months of the
release date of the Channel Reassignment Public Notice. Licensees that are
unable to meet this filing deadline may request a waiver of the deadline no
later than 30 days prior to the deadline.
(ii) A licensee of a reassigned station that is reassigned from one channel
to a different channel within its existing band will be permitted to propose
transmission facilities in its construction permit application that will
extend its coverage contour, as defined by the technical parameters
specified in the Channel Reassignment Public Notice, if such facilities:
(A) Are necessary to achieve the coverage contour specified in the Channel
Reassignment Public Notice or to address loss of coverage area resulting
from the new channel assignment;
(B) Will not extend a full power television station's noise limited contour
or a Class A television station's protected contour by more than one percent
in any direction; and
(C) Will not cause new interference, other than a rounding tolerance of 0.5
percent, to any other broadcast television station.
(iii) The licensee of a UHF-to-VHF station or High-VHF-to-Low-VHF station
will be permitted to propose transmission facilities in its construction
permit application that will extend its coverage contour, as defined by the
technical parameters specified in the Channel Reassignment Public Notice, if
the proposed facility will not cause new interference, other than a rounding
tolerance of 0.5 percent, to any other broadcast television station.
(iv) Priority filing window. (A) The licensee of a reassigned station, a
UHF-to-VHF station, or a High-VHF-to-Low-VHF station that, for reasons
beyond its control, is unable to construct facilities that meet the
technical parameters specified in the Channel Reassignment Public Notice, or
the permissible contour coverage variance from those technical parameters
specified in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) or (iii) of this section, may request a
waiver of the construction permit application deadline specified in
paragraph (b)(1)(i) no later than 30 days prior to the deadline. If its
waiver request is granted, the licensee will be afforded an opportunity to
submit an application for a construction permit pursuant to paragraph
(b)(2)(i) or (ii) of this section in a priority filing window to be
announced by the Media Bureau by public notice.
(B) The licensee of any broadcast television station that the Commission
makes all reasonable efforts to preserve pursuant to section 6403(b)(2) of
the Spectrum Act that is predicted to experience aggregate new interference
to population served in excess of one percent as a result of the repacking
process will be afforded an opportunity to submit an application for a
construction permit pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i) or (ii) of this section
in the priority filing window required by paragraph (b)(1)(iv)(A).
(v) Construction permit applications filed pursuant to paragraph (b)(1)(i)
of this section will be afforded expedited processing if the application:
(A) Does not seek to expand the coverage area, as defined by the technical
parameters specified in the Channel Reassignment Public Notice, in any
direction;
(B) Seeks authorization for facilities that are no more than five percent
smaller than those specified in the Channel Reassignment Public Notice with
respect to predicted population served; and
(C) Is filed within the three-month deadline specified in paragraph
(b)(1)(i) of this section.
(vi) Delegation of authority. The Commission delegates authority to the
Chief, Media Bureau to establish construction periods for reassigned
stations, UHF-to-VHF stations, and High-VHF-to-Low-VHF stations.
(2) Applications for alternate channels and expanded facilities—
(i) Alternate channels. The licensee of a reassigned station, a UHF-to-VHF
station, a High-VHF-to-Low-VHF station, or a broadcast television station
described in paragraph (b)(1)(iv)(B) of this section will be permitted to
file a major change application for a construction permit for an alternate
channel on FCC Form 301, 301-CA, or 340 during a filing window to be
announced by the Media Bureau by public notice, provided that:
(A) The licensee of a UHF-to-VHF station cannot request an alternate UHF
channel;
(B) The licensee of a UHF-to-VHF station that specified the high-VHF band or
the low-VHF band in its UHF-to-VHF bid cannot request a VHF channel outside
of the assigned band; and
(C) The licensee of a High-VHF-to-Low-VHF station cannot request an
alternate high-VHF channel.
(ii) Expanded facilities. The licensee of a reassigned station, a UHF-to-VHF
station, a High-VHF-to-Low-VHF station, or a broadcast television station
described in paragraph (b)(1)(iv)(B) of this section will be permitted to
file a minor change application for a construction permit on FCC Form 301,
301-CA, or 340 during a filing window to be announced by the Media Bureau by
public notice, in order to request a change in the technical parameters
specified in the Channel Reassignment Public Notice (or, in the case of a
broadcast television station described in paragraph (b)(1)(iv)(B) that is
not reassigned to a new channel, a change in its authorized technical
parameters) with respect to height above average terrain (HAAT), effective
radiated power (ERP), or transmitter location that would be considered a
minor change under § § 73.3572(a)(1),(2) or 74.787(b) of this chapter.
(iii) Delegation of authority. The Commission delegates authority to the
Chief, Media Bureau to:
(A) Announce filing opportunities for alternate channels and expanded
facilities applications and specifying appropriate processing guidelines,
including the standards to qualify for priority filing, cut-off protections,
and means to avoid or resolve mutual exclusivity between applications; and
(B) Establish construction periods for permits authorizing alternate
channels or expanded facilities.
(3) License applications for channel sharing stations. The licensee of each
channel sharee station and channel sharer station must file an application
for a license for the shared channel using FCC Form 302-DTV or 302-CA within
three months of the date that the channel sharee station licensee receives
its incentive payment pursuant to section 6403(a)(1) of the Spectrum Act.
(4) Deadlines to terminate operations on pre-auction channels. (i) The
licensee of a license relinquishment station must comply with the
notification and cancellation procedures in § 73.1750 and terminate
operations on its pre-auction channel within three months of the date that
the licensee receives its incentive payment pursuant to section 6403(a)(1)
of the Spectrum Act.
(ii) The licensee of a channel sharee station must comply with the
notification and cancellation procedures in § 73.1750 and terminate
operations on its pre-auction channel within three months of the date that
the licensee receives its incentive payment pursuant to section 6403(a)(1)
of the Spectrum Act.
(iii) All reassigned stations, UHF-to-VHF stations, and High-VHF-to-Low-VHF
stations must cease operating on their pre-auction channel once such station
begins operating on its post-auction channel or by the deadline specified in
its construction permit for its post-auction channel, whichever occurs
earlier, and in no event later than the end of the post-auction transition
period as defined in § 27.4 of this chapter.
(5) Applications for additional time to complete construction—(i) Delegation
of authority. Authority is delegated to the Chief, Media Bureau to grant a
single extension of time of up to six months to licensees of reassigned
stations, UHF-to-VHF stations, and High-VHF-to-Low-VHF stations to complete
construction of their post-auction channel upon demonstration by the
licensee that failure to meet the construction deadline is due to
circumstances that are either unforeseeable or beyond the licensee's
control. Licensees needing additional time beyond such a single extension of
time to complete construction shall be subject to the tolling provisions in
§ 73.3598.
(ii) Circumstances that may justify an extension of the construction
deadline of a licensee of a reassigned station, a UHF-to-VHF station, or a
High-VHF-to-Low-VHF station include but are not limited to:
(A) Weather-related delays, including a tower location in a
weather-sensitive area;
(B) Delays in construction due to the unavailability of equipment or a tower
crew;
(C) Tower lease disputes;
(D) Unusual technical challenges, such as the need to construct a
top-mounted or side-mounted antenna or the need to coordinate channel
changes with another station; and
(E) Delays faced by licensees that must obtain government approvals, such as
land use or zoning approvals, or that are subject to competitive bidding
requirements prior to purchasing equipment or services.
(iii) A licensee of a reassigned station, UHF-to-VHF station, or
High-VHF-to-Low-VHF station may rely on “financial hardship” as a criterion
for seeking an extension of time if it is subject to an active bankruptcy or
receivership proceeding, provided that the licensee makes an adequate
showing that it has filed requests to proceed with construction in the
relevant court proceedings. Any other licensee that seeks an extension of
time based on financial hardship must demonstrate that, although it is not
subject to an active bankruptcy or receivership proceeding, rare and
exceptional financial circumstances warrant granting additional time to
complete construction.
(iv) Applications for additional time to complete construction must be filed
electronically in CDBS using FCC Form 337 no less than 90 days before the
expiration of the construction permit.
(c) Consumer education for transitioning stations. (1) License
relinquishment stations that operate on a commercial basis will be required
to air at least one Public Service Announcement (PSA) and run at least one
crawl in every quarter of every day for 30 days prior to the date that the
station terminates operations on its pre-auction channel. One of the
required PSAs and one of the required crawls must be run during prime time
hours (for purposes of this section, between 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. in the
Eastern and Pacific time zones, and between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. in the
Mountain and Central time zones) each day.
(2) Noncommercial educational full power television license relinquishment
stations may choose to comply with these requirements in paragraph (c)(1) of
this section or may air 60 seconds per day of on-air consumer education PSAs
for 30 days prior to the station's termination of operations on its
pre-auction channel.
(3) Transitioning stations, except for license relinquishment stations, must
air 60 seconds per day of on-air consumer education PSAs or crawls for 30
days prior to the station's termination of operations on its pre-auction
channel.
(4) Transition crawls. (i) Each crawl must run during programming for no
less than 60 consecutive seconds across the bottom or top of the viewing
area and be provided in the same language as a majority of the programming
carried by the transitioning station.
(ii) Each crawl must include the date that the station will terminate
operations on its pre-auction channel; inform viewers of the need to rescan
if the station has received a new post-auction channel assignment; and
explain how viewers may obtain more information by telephone or online.
(5) Transition PSAs. (i) Each PSA must have a duration of at least 15
seconds.
(ii) Each PSA must be provided in the same language as a majority of the
programming carried by the transitioning station; include the date that the
station will terminate operations on its pre-auction channel; inform viewers
of the need to rescan if the station has received a new post-auction channel
assignment; explain how viewers may obtain more information by telephone or
online; and for stations with new post-auction channel assignments, provide
instructions to both over-the-air and MVPD viewers regarding how to continue
watching the television station; and be closed-captioned.
(6) Licensees of transitioning stations, except for license relinquishment
stations, must place a certification of compliance with the requirements in
paragraph (c) of this section in their online public file within 30 days
after beginning operations on their post-auction channels. Licensees of
license relinquishment stations must include the certification in their
notification of discontinuation of service pursuant to § 73.1750 of this
chapter.
(d) Notice to MVPDs. (1) Licensees of transitioning stations must provide
notice to MVPDs that:
(i) No longer will be required to carry the station because it will cease
operations or because of the relocation of a channel sharee station;
(ii) Currently carry and will continue to be obligated to carry a station
that will have a new post-auction channel assignment; or
(iii) Will become obligated to carry a station due to the relocation of a
channel sharee station.
(2) The notice to MVPDs must be provided in the form of a letter
notification and must contain the following information:
(i) Date and time of any channel changes;
(ii) Pre-auction and post-auction channels;
(iii) Modification (if any) to antenna position, location or power levels;
(iv) Stream identification information for channel sharing stations; and
(v) Engineering staff contact information.
(3) Should any of the information in (d)(2) of this section change during
the time that the station is transitioning from its pre-auction to its
post-auction channel, an amended notification must be sent.
(4) For cable systems, the notification letter must be addressed to the
system's official address of record provided in the cable system's most
recent filing in the Commission's Cable Operations and Licensing System
(COALS) Form 322. For all other MVPDs, the notification letter must be
addressed to the official corporate address registered with their State of
incorporation.
(5) Notification letters must be sent within the following time frames:
(i) For license relinquishment stations, not less than 30 days prior to
terminating operations;
(ii) For channel sharee stations, not less than 30 days prior to terminating
operations of the pre-auction channel;
(iii) For channel sharee and channel sharer stations, not less than 30 days
prior to initiation of operations on the shared channel; and
(iv) For reassigned stations, UHF-to-VHF stations, and High-VHF-to-Low-VHF
stations, not less than 90 days prior to the date on which they will begin
operations on their post-auction channel.
(v) If a station's anticipated transition date changes due to an unforeseen
delay or change in transition plan, the licensee must send a further notice
to affected MVPDs informing them of the new anticipated transition date.
(e) Reimbursement rules—(1) Entities eligible for reimbursement. The
Commission will reimburse relocation costs reasonably incurred only by:
(i) The licensees of full power and Class A broadcast television stations
that are reassigned under section 6403(b)(1)(B)(i) of the Spectrum Act,
including channel sharer stations that are reassigned to a new channel in
the Channel Reassignment Public Notice; and
(ii) MVPDs in order to continue to carry the signal of a full power or Class
A broadcast television station that is:
(A) Described in paragraph (e)(1)(i) of this section;
(B) A UHF-to-VHF station;
(C) A High-VHF-to-Low-VHF station; or
(D) A channel sharee station.
(2) Estimated costs. (i) No later than three months following the release of
the Channel Reassignment Public Notice, all broadcast television station
licensees and MVPDs that are eligible to receive payment of relocation costs
will be required to file an estimated cost form providing an estimate of
their reasonably incurred relocation costs.
(ii) Each broadcast television station licensee and MVPD that submits an
estimated cost form will be required to certify, inter alia, that:
(A) It believes in good faith that it will reasonably incur all of the
estimated costs that it claims as eligible for reimbursement on the
estimated cost form;
(B) It will use all money received from the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund
only for expenses it believes in good faith are eligible for reimbursement;
(C) It will comply with all policies and procedures relating to allocations,
draw downs, payments, obligations, and expenditures of money from the TV
Broadcaster Relocation Fund;
(D) It will maintain detailed records, including receipts, of all costs
eligible for reimbursement actually incurred; and
(E) It will file all required documentation of its relocation expenses as
instructed by the Media Bureau.
(iii) If a broadcast television station licensee or MVPD seeks reimbursement
for new equipment, it must provide a justification as to why it is
reasonable under the circumstances to purchase new equipment rather than
modify its corresponding current equipment in order to change channels or to
continue to carry the signal of a broadcast television station that changes
channels.
(iv) Entities that submit their own cost estimates, as opposed to the
predetermined cost estimates provided in the estimated cost form, must
submit supporting evidence and certify that the estimate is made in good
faith.
(3) Final Allocation Deadline. (i) Upon completing construction or other
reimbursable changes, or by a specific deadline prior to the end of the
Reimbursement Period to be established by the Media Bureau, whichever is
earlier, all broadcast television station licensees and MVPDs that received
an initial allocation from the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund must provide
the Commission with information and documentation, including invoices and
receipts, regarding their actual expenses incurred as of a date to be
determined by the Media Bureau (the “Final Allocation Deadline”).
(ii) If a broadcast television station licensee or MVPD has not yet
completed construction or other reimbursable changes by the Final Allocation
Deadline, it must provide the Commission with information and documentation
regarding any remaining eligible expenses that it expects to reasonably
incur.
(4) Final accounting. After completing all construction or reimbursable
changes, broadcast television station licensees and MVPDs that have received
money from the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund will be required to submit
final expense documentation containing a list of estimated expenses and
actual expenses as of a date to be determined by the Media Bureau. Entities
that have finished construction and have submitted all actual expense
documentation by the Final Allocation Deadline will not be required to file
at the final accounting stage.
(5) Progress reports. Broadcast television station licensees and MVPDs that
receive payment from the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund are required to
submit progress reports at a date and frequency to be determined by the
Media Bureau.
(6) Documentation requirements. (i) Each broadcast television station
licensee and MVPD that receives payment from the TV Broadcaster Relocation
Fund is required to retain all relevant documents pertaining to construction
or other reimbursable changes for a period ending not less than 10 years
after the date on which it receives final payment from the TV Broadcaster
Relocation Fund.
(ii) Each broadcast television station licensee and MVPD that receives
payment from the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund must make available all
relevant documentation upon request from the Commission or its contractor.
(7) Delegation of authority. The Commission delegates authority to the
Chief, Media Bureau, to adopt the necessary policies and procedures relating
to allocations, draw downs, payments, obligations, and expenditures of money
from the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund in order to protect against waste,
fraud, and abuse and in the event of bankruptcy, to establish a catalog of
expenses eligible for reimbursement and predetermined cost estimates, review
the estimated cost forms, issue initial allocations for costs reasonably
incurred pursuant to section 6403(b)(4) of the Spectrum Act, set filing
deadlines and review information and documentation regarding progress
reports, final allocations, and final accountings, and issue final
allocations to reimburse for costs reasonably incurred pursuant to section
6403(b)(4) of the Spectrum Act.
(f) Service rule waiver—(1) Waiver requests. (i) A broadcast television
station licensee described in paragraph (e)(1)(i) of this section may file a
request with the Chief, Media Bureau for a waiver of the Commission's
service rules pursuant to section 6403(b)(4)(B) of the Spectrum Act during a
30-day window commencing upon the date that the Channel Reassignment Public
Notice is released.
(ii) A broadcast television station licensee may request that a waiver be
granted on a temporary or permanent basis.
(2) A licensee will have 10 days following a grant of the waiver to notify
the Commission whether it accepts the terms of the waiver.
(3) A licensee is required to meet all requirements for receiving payment of
relocation costs under section 6403(b)(4) of the Spectrum Act established by
the Commission, including the requirements of paragraph (e) of this section,
until its waiver request is granted and the licensee accepts the terms of
the waiver.
(4) A licensee that is granted and accepts the terms of the waiver or a
licensee with a pending waiver application must comply with all filing and
notification requirements, construction schedules, and other post-auction
transition deadlines set forth in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this
section.
(g) Low Power TV and TV translator stations. (1) Licensees of operating low
power TV and TV translator stations that are displaced by a broadcast
television station or a wireless service provider or whose channel is
reserved as a guard band as a result of the broadcast television spectrum
incentive auction conducted under section 6403 of the Spectrum Act shall be
permitted to submit an application for displacement relief in a restricted
filing window to be announced by the Media Bureau by public notice. Except
as otherwise indicated in this section, such applications will be subject to
the rules governing displacement applications set forth in § § 73.3572(a)(4)
and 74.787(a)(4) of this chapter.
(2) In addition to other interference protection requirements set forth in
the rules, when requesting a new channel in a displacement application,
licensees of operating low power TV and TV translator stations will be
required to demonstrate that the station would not cause interference to the
predicted service of broadcast television stations on:
(i) Pre-auction channels;
(ii) Channels assigned in the Channel Reassignment Public Notice; or
(iii) Alternative channels or expanded facilities broadcast television
station licensees have applied for pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this
section.
(3) Mutually exclusive displacement applications. Licensees of low power TV
and TV translator stations that file mutually exclusive displacement
applications will be permitted to resolve the mutual exclusivity through an
engineering solution or settlement agreement. If no resolution of mutually
exclusive displacement applications occurs, a selection priority will be
granted to the licensee of a displaced digital replacement translator.
(4) Notification and termination provisions for displaced low power TV and
TV translator stations. (i) A wireless licensee assigned to frequencies in
the 600 MHz band under part 27 of this chapter must notify low power TV and
TV translator stations of its intent to commence wireless operations and the
likelihood of receiving harmful interference from the low power TV or TV
translator station to such operations within the wireless licensee's
licensed geographic service area.
(ii) The new wireless licensees must:
(A) Notify the low power TV or TV translator station in the form of a
letter, via certified mail, return receipt requested;
(B) Indicate the date the new wireless licensee intends to commence
operations in areas where there is a likelihood of receiving harmful
interference from the low power TV or TV translator station; and
(C) Send such notification not less than 120 days in advance of the
commencement date.
(iii) Low power TV and TV translator stations may continue operating on
frequencies in the 600 MHz band assigned to wireless licensees under part 27
of this chapter until the wireless licensee commences operations as
indicated in the notification sent pursuant to this paragraph.
(iv) After receiving notification, the low power TV or TV translator
licensee must cease operating or reduce power in order to eliminate the
potential for harmful interference before the commencement date set forth in
the notification.
(v) Low power TV and TV translator stations that are operating on the UHF
spectrum that is reserved for guard band channels as a result of the
broadcast television incentive auction conducted under section 6403 of the
Spectrum Act may continue operating on such channels until the end of the
post-auction transition period as defined in § 27.4 of this chapter, unless
they receive notification from a new wireless licensee pursuant to the
requirements of paragraph (g)(4) of this section that they are likely to
cause harmful interference in areas where the wireless licensee intends to
commence operations, in which case the requirements of paragraph (g)(4) of
this section will apply.
(h) Channel sharing operating rules. (1) Each broadcast television station
licensee that is a party to a CSA shall continue to be licensed and operated
separately, have its own call sign, and be separately subject to all of the
Commission's obligations, rules, and policies applicable to the television
service.
(2) Channel sharing between full power television and Class A television
stations. (i) A CSA may be executed between licensees of full power
television stations, between licensees of Class A television stations, and
between licensees of full power and Class A television stations.
(ii) A Class A channel sharee station licensee that is a party to a CSA with
a full power channel sharer station licensee must comply with the rules of
part 73 governing power levels and interference, and must comply in all
other respects with the rules and policies applicable to Class A television
stations, as set forth in § § 73.6000 et seq.
(iii) A full power channel sharee station licensee that is a party to a CSA
with a Class A channel sharer station licensee must comply with the rules of
part 74 of this chapter governing power levels and interference.
(iv) A Class A channel sharee station may qualify only for the cable
carriage rights afforded to “qualified low power television stations” in
§ 76.56(b)(3) of this chapter.
(3) Channel sharing between commercial and noncommercial educational
television stations. (i) A CSA may be executed between commercial and NCE
broadcast television station licensees.
(ii) The licensee of an NCE station operating on a reserved channel under
§ 73.621 that becomes a party to a CSA, either as a channel sharee station or
as a channel sharer station, will retain its NCE status and must continue to
comply with § 73.621.
(iii) If the licensee of an NCE station operating on a reserved channel
under § 73.621 becomes a party to a CSA, either as a channel sharee station
or as a channel sharer station, the portion of the shared television channel
on which the NCE station operates shall be reserved for NCE-only use.
(iv) The licensee of an NCE station operating on a reserved channel under
§ 73.621 that becomes a party to a CSA may assign or transfer its shared
license only to an entity qualified under § 73.621 as an NCE television
licensee.
(v) If the licensee of an NCE station operating on a reserved channel under
§ 73.621 becomes a party to a CSA and its license is relinquished or
terminated, only another entity meeting the eligibility criteria of § 73.621
will be considered for reassignment of the shared license.
(4) Required CSA provisions. (i) CSAs must contain provisions outlining each
licensee's rights and responsibilities regarding:
(A) Access to facilities, including whether each licensee will have
unrestrained access to the shared transmission facilities;
(B) Allocation of bandwidth within the shared channel;
(C) Operation, maintenance, repair, and modification of facilities,
including a list of all relevant equipment, a description of each party's
financial obligations, and any relevant notice provisions; and
(D) Termination or transfer/assignment of rights to the shared licenses,
including the ability of a new licensee to assume the existing CSA.
(ii) CSAs must include provisions:
(A) Affirming compliance with the channel sharing requirements in paragraph
(h)(4) of this section, the Incentive Auction Report and Order, Docket No.
12-268 (FCC 14-50), and the Channel Sharing Report and Order, 27 FCC Rcd
4616 (2012); and
(B) Requiring that each channel sharing licensee shall retain spectrum usage
rights adequate to ensure a sufficient amount of the shared channel capacity
to allow it to provide at least one Standard Definition (SD) program stream
at all times.
(5) If a channel sharee or channel sharer station's license is terminated,
the licensees of the remaining channel sharing station or stations will
continue to have rights to their portion(s) of the shared channel. The
rights to the terminated portion of the shared channel will revert to the
Commission for reassignment. The final award of the rights to the terminated
portion of the shared channel will be conditioned on a new channel sharing
licensee agreeing to the terms of the existing CSA. If the new channel
sharing licensee and the licensees of the remaining channel sharing station
or stations agree to renegotiate the terms of the existing CSA, the
agreement may be amended, subject to Commission approval. If the
negotiations to amend the agreement are unsuccessful, the remaining station
or stations will be permitted to continue to operate while the channel
remains a shared allocation and subject to reassignment.
(6) If the rights under a CSA are transferred or assigned, the assignee or
the transferee must comply with the terms of the CSA. If the transferee or
assignee and the licensees of the remaining channel sharing station or
stations agree to amend the terms of the existing CSA, the agreement may be
amended, subject to Commission approval.
(7) Preservation of carriage rights. A channel sharee station that possessed
carriage rights under section 338, 614, or 615 of the Communications Act of
1934 (47 U.S.C. 338; 534; 535) on November 30, 2010, shall have, at its
shared location, the carriage rights under such section that would apply to
such station at the shared location if it were not sharing a channel.
[ 79 FR 48539 , Aug. 15, 2014, as amended at 79 FR 76914 , Dec. 23, 2014; 80 FR 46846 , Aug. 6, 2015]
Effective Date Notes: 1. At 79 FR 48539 , Aug. 15, 2014, § 73.3700 was
revised. Paragraphs (b)(1)(i) through (iii) and (v), (b)(2)(i), (b)(4)(i)
and (ii), (b)(5), (d), (e)(2) through (6), (f), (g), (h)(4) and (6) of this
section contain information collection and recordkeeping requirements and
will not become effective until approval has been given by the Office of
Management and Budget.
2. At 79 FR 76914 , Dec. 23, 2014, § 73.3700 was amended by revising
paragraphs (b)(1)(iv), (b)(2)(i) introductory text, and (b)(2)(ii). These
paragraphs contain information collection and recordkeeping requirements and
will not become effective until approval has been given by the Office of
Management and Budget.
3. At 80 FR 46846 , Aug. 6, 2015, § 73.3700 (c)(6) was revised, effective
Sept. 8, 2015. This paragraph contains information collection and
recordkeeping requirements and will not become effective until approval has
been given by the Office of Management and Budget.
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