The Association for Maximum Service Television and the National Association of Broadcasters asked the FCC Sept. 22 to turn down a request from Clarity Broadcasting for waivers to allow it to operate cable relay service stations (CARS) for a “Trucker TV” service at Flying J truck stops.
Clarity Broadcasting is seeking the waivers to operate a “Trucker TV” service on 84MHz of the 2GHz band that includes the portion of the band assigned to Broadcast Auxiliary Service (BAS) licensees for ENG transmission.
In the joint NAB-MSTV filing, the associations told the commission that granting the waivers for the service “would turn the Commission’s CARS rules on their head and would materially harm local broadcast station’s critical ENG operations, to the detriment of the viewing public.”
According to the filing, granting the CARS license would be unlawful because it would amend the Table of Allocations without a required rulemaking proceeding. It also would run contrary to the Congressional directive to auction new licenses for commercial use, the filing said.
The associations told the commission that Clarity’s analysis of interferences from the proposed service is flawed. “For example, Clarity fails to address the high magnitude reflections, both horizontal and slightly upwards, which can be predicted to arise from the reflective surfaces of trucks and RVs, as well as the paved surfaces at truck stops (the latter are particularly likely to be problematic when wet),” the filing said.
The filing said these factors would increase RF emissions beyond what’s predicted by Clarity’s proposed antenna elevation pattern.
Clarity’s proposed Trucker TV service would ensure that “no 12MHz channels would be available for the BAS licensees, potentially interfering with coverage of severe weather, traffic accidents, forest fires, road closures or other breaking news events at or near the 250 highway locations of Clarity’s proposed service,” the filing said.
The Society of Broadcast Engineers separately filed in opposition to Clarity’s requested waivers. (See: “Industry groups line up in opposition to ‘Trucker TV.’”)
