The National Association of Broadcasters is asking the Federal Communications Commission to extend its 39-month spectrum repacking deadline for up to 1,200 TV stations after next year’s TV spectrum incentive auction citing insufficient tower crews to complete the job in the given time frame.
“Commission officials have noted on many occasions that the commission will not know how many broadcasters will be required to relocate until the auction is complete,” an NAB filing with the FCC said. “In light of this fact, the commission’s one-size-fits-all deadline is manifestly unreasonable; clearly, the deadline for repacking 200 stations should not be the same as the deadline for repacking 1,200.”
A study by Digital Tech Consulting found “under ideal conditions” only 445 of the 1,200 TV stations could be relocated to different channels in the 39-month time period. The report identified only 13 tower construction companies capable of completing tower modifications and antenna installations and only two manufacturers that meet broadcast industry standards, which could lead to a shortage of antennas.
“The two most significant bottlenecks in the process will be the small number of qualified crews for implementing tower modifications and installing antennas and transmission lines, and an anticipated shortage of antennas,” the report finds. “There are other possible delaying factors, such as waiting for zoning and building permits, negotiating tower lease modifications, navigating the bureaucracy associated with federal and state-owned lands where some transmission sites are located, and both seasonal and extreme weather that will likely occur in many cases.”
The report also raises concerns the companies that originally built the infrastructure for the transition from analog to digital are no longer in business.
“The vast majority of broadcast towers are owned by the broadcasters, themselves, and most of these towers are not TIA-222G compliant for tower safety code,” the report concludes. “Therefore, DTC anticipates that there will be a significant number of towers that will require modifications to meet code. These modifications represent both a high-cost and lengthy time component of a channel change project.”
This is of great concern to the NAB because the consequences for stations not meeting the deadline are drastic. An FCC order said the noncompliant stations will be forced to go dark at the end of the given time frame whether the noncompliance was outside their control or not.
In its filing, the NAB asks the FCC to revisit the repacking deadline after the auction is over so they know how many stations will have to switch channels and to work with shareholders to create regional transition plans for more efficient repacking of the spectrum after the auction concludes. The association is also requesting a waiver process for stations that are unable to meet the deadline due to circumstance out of their control.
The National Association of Tower Erectors has also raised concerns about the safety of climbers who will be under increased pressure to meet the unrealistic deadline, which they believe could lead to fatalities.
