As covered in previous editions of RF Report, under the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004 (SHERVA), the FCC is authorized to grant a waiver of digital signal strength testing when requested by a station able to show that the station's digital signal coverage "continues to be limited due to the unremediable (sic) presence of one of the six statutory criteria." Waivers are granted for a period of six months. In an order adopted last week, the FCC granted extensions of waivers to all 15 of the 23 stations that were previously granted waivers and filed a request for an extension of the waiver.
Five stations requested an extension because they are unable to complete construction of their authorized DTV facilities because they are waiting for international coordination to be completed. Eight stations requested an extension due to local zoning or environmental legal impediments that have prevented them from building their full DTV facilities. This group includes stations from Vermont to Hawaii, and, of course, the Denver stations in the Lake Cedar Group that have been prevented from constructing their new DTV tower on Lookout Mountain. The last two stations receiving extensions of their waivers were WNBC-DT in New York and WDSU-DT in New Orleans, under the "Force Majeure" criteria due to the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, and destruction of facilities by Hurricane Katrina, respectively.
For a complete listing of the stations receiving waiver extensions and the justification for the waivers, refer to the Order (DA 06-2232).
