Friday, Nov. 5 is the deadline for stations to verify their technical information with the FCC. All full-power licensees with a DTV or NTSC authorization or a construction permit must file Form No. 381 if they intend to participate in the digital channel election process.
The data that has to be verified is contained in FCC's Table of Station Assignment and Service Information, released Oct. 7. The table is available as an Adobe Acrobat document at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-04-3203A2.pdf; or in Word form at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-04-3203A2.doc. (The Acrobat document is slightly easier to decipher.) The information includes community of service, call sign, facility ID, power level, transmitter elevation, geographic location, population and area of service.
A separate form must be filed for every full-power station with a license or a construction permit. Filing is free, but it must be done online, and an account number and password is necessary for access. Both can be quickly obtained at http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts by clicking the "Create A New Account" hotlink, which takes the user to another page requesting name, address, phone number, e-mail and a password of the user's discretion (eight or more characters.) Once the fields are completed and the "Create An Account" hotlink is clicked on, a page with an account number immediately appears.
The FCC recommends users write down their account number and password, since neither can be retrieved on the agency end.
Login at http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts; hit "Account Maintenance" and certify your status as a licensee applicant or a contact rep, then return to the main menu comprising the links to TV station forms. Form. No. 381 is toward the bottom of the page.
For more information about television broadcast forms, call: 202-418-1600; for technical assistance to get the forms to work properly, call the CDBS help desk at 202-418-2662.
Stations that fail to file a 381 will be presumed to agree that the technical information on file for them is accurate, and they don't intend to continue broadcasting after the transition.
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