Greetings from the World of Positive Confusion…from major mod’s to Class A to ATSC 3.0!
Clarification #1: Moving Stations and New Stations. LPTVBA is thrilled that the FCC Media Bureau published a public notice lifting the freezes on major modifications!
We sent out a Red Alert on September 3rd that generated emails and calls of confusion. So, let’s make this as straightforward as possible. Yes, LMS will shut down for minor and major mod’s at various times (mostly for housekeeping). Putting that aside for the moment, this is what you need to know:
Wednesday, October 22nd through Wednesday, December 3rd: MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! You can file a major mod application to move your station 121 km (approximately 75 miles). From our understanding, every station can apply regardless of the existence of any one-year requirements on your license.
Monday, January 26th, 2026: Let the Fun Begin! Opportunities Abound! The window opens up to move your station anywhere without the 121 km restriction plus you can file for a new LPTV or Translator station!
Everything filed is on a first-come, first-served basis based on the day of filing, not the time of day. If you are MX’ed, well, we will deal with that later.
This has been a priority for the LPTVBA, and our wish has come true!
A Big Thank You to the FCC Media Bureau! This was, and will be, a lot of work yet this amazing group of people made it happen! Thanks to Media Bureau Chief Erin Boone, Hillary DeNigro, Evan Morris, Shaun Maher, Kevin Harding, and Mark Colombo. You rock our world!
Clarification #2: LPPA. Think back a few years. We were lobbying Congress and the FCC to look at opening a new window for LPTV stations to apply for Class A known as the Low Power Protection Act (LPPA).
As you know, there was a one-year window for stations in DMA markets #177 and lower (95,000 or fewer households) to apply. Of the 90 plus stations eligible, 20 applied and were granted Class A status and 7 are still pending.
One of the pending stations, WETN-LD in Allingtown, CT, filed a suit claiming their service/contour area had less than 95,000 households even though they are in the Hartford, CT, DMA (top 30.) To date, the lawsuits have not been successful but now station owner, Robert Knapp, has filed with the Supreme Court of the United States to rule on his request for Class A status.
The LPTVBA sent out a Red Alert on Saturday, September 20th, with a link to the filing made to the Supreme Court. How does this affect your ability to get a Class A license? Time will tell.
Clarification #3: Mandatory ATSC 3.0. The LPTVBA, CTA, and others are not against ATSC 3.0. Quite the contrary. We support any standard a broadcaster thinks is right for their community and their business plan. If stations want to go to ATSC 3.0, just do it! If not, don’t. Simple.
It took well over a decade to transition from analog to digital, yet the request is for mandatory adoption in the top markets by 2928. Who will have a receiver? Even more importantly, even if you have a receiver, who will be watching a linear television stream? Content is being consumed now more than ever; however, in a different way.
LPTVBA has a major issue if the FCC makes ATSC 3.0 mandatory with private stakeholders in the standard charging a broadcaster to transmit content. If you don’t pay, certified receivers will not pick up your broadcast. That means no free to air television for those people. Look at the fallout of DRM. In Boston, for months we could not pick up more than a black screen from stations broadcasting with DRM.
At that point, there were no certified receivers, save a few television sets (definitely not our Sony.) Free is free. ATSC 1.0 is free over the air. 5G Broadcasting is free over the air. Only ATSC 3.0 is not free for anyone. It is a way for the entities who developed the standard to make money off broadcasters and television manufacturers.
In Conclusion. I hope this helps clear up some confusion. I just returned from IBC (International Broadcasters Convention) in Amsterdam which was well attended and vibrant. We saw 5G Broadcast working with DVBT-2 (the European 8 mHZ Standard) for emergency alerts. We also saw 5G Broadcast to digital signage. The Minister of Communications said that Brazil will deploy 5G Broadcast, side by side with their TV 3.0 for indoor reception of broadcasts. IBC had an air of excitement with people working together - a nice feeling in today’s world!
By: SuperFrank Copsidas, Founder & Board Chair of
LPTV Broadcasters Association