Under certain conditions, TV stations can request a waiver from the digital signal testing used to determine if a household is eligible to receive distant DTV signals under the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Re-authorization Act of 2004 (SHERVA).
These waivers are valid for six months, after which they have to be renewed. Satellite subscribers can request a digital signal test starting July 15, 2007 for any full-power local network station that was not subject to the April 30, 2006 date for digital signal testing. Without the waiver, if a station does not provide a DTV signal that exceeds the intensity standards in Section 73.622(e)(1), then the satellite subscriber will be eligible to receive a distant digital signal from another station affiliated with the same network.
Some of the larger market stations seeking new waivers include KABC-DT in Los Angeles, WPVI-DT in Philadelphia, KGO-DT in San Francisco, and KTRK-DT in Houston. WNBC-DT in New York City and KFTR-DT in Ontario, Calif. (Los Angeles DMA) were among the stations seeking extensions of existing waivers.
For a list of the conditions under which waivers may be granted, a list of stations requesting waivers and information on how to file opposition or responses to the requests see Public Notice DA 07-1309.
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