The Association for Maximum Service Television (MSTV) is asking its member stations to doublecheck technical details about their final DTV channel allotments with the FCC.
In a letter David Donovan sent to all MSTV members on the MSTV Web site, the association president notes that an important part of the process for TV stations to elect their final DTV channels is to make sure the technical parameters of their licenses are reflected accurately in the FCC database. In the letter, Donovan explains, "Before making an election, stations must have knowledge about the surrounding stations. Inaccuracies in the database may affect your protected coverage area as we move through the channel election process."
Donovan's letter to MSTV members continues, "We urge you to double check your facilities against the FCC's database. The FCC database can be accessed over the Internet at www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html." According to Donovan, if any discrepancies are found, a letter "with appropriate supporting documentation" should be sent to Mr. Nai Tam, Media Bureau - Video Services Division, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554. It also requested copies of discrepancy letters be sent to MSTV, either by hard copy to PO Box 9897, 4100 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016, by fax to (202) 966-9617 or email to Imilloy@mstv.org.
The letter warns stations that if there are discrepancies in the database, there might be legal implications, stating in capital letters "WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONSULT YOUR FCC ATTORNEY before contacting the Commission."
In addition to the link mentioned in the MSTV letter, there are some other links that may be useful. The FCC database may not have data from recently filed applications that have yet to be processed. To check on applications, I recommend the CDBS Public Access page. Click on "Search for Application Information" to see pending applications. If you want to see a quick summary of the facilities of all TV stations, download my spreadsheet version of the TV engineering data in the CDBS - www.xmtr.com/fcc/tv040619.zip. This spreadsheet is updated every two weeks and the link is posted in the U.S. DTV Status Update.
