An analysis of data from the FCC of the DTV channel election process by BIA Financial Network shows that 246 U.S. TV stations have not received a tentative post-transition DTV channel.
As part of the Digital Television (DTV) Channel Election Process, television stations have the opportunity to apply to use their current analog channel as their DTV channel after the transition to digital in 2006.
On June 8, 2005, the FCC announced it had sent conflict letters to stations whose use of their NTSC channel for DTV transmission would result in, what the commission deemed as "impermissible interference."
The BIA Financial analysis of the FCC post-transition channel assignment list showed that:
- 167 television stations that filed a first round election ballet should have received this conflict letter;
- 10 additional stations that applied for a channel other than their current analog channel were also rejected;
- Thus, 177 stations have 60 days to account for how they will resolve the interference conflict.
Sixty-nine stations were orphaned, according to BIA Financial. Those stations could not, or did not, elect a post-transition channel, and were not assigned a tentative channel allotment in the first round. Thus, as of June 8, 246 TV stations had not received a tentative post-transition DTV channel.
Of this group:
- 39 are in the top 10 television markets;
- 24 stations elected to use their analog channel;
- Two stations elected a station other than their analog channel;
- 13 stations could or did not elect a post transition channel.
In the top 50 television markets, there are 116 unassigned stations. Seventy-seven elected to use their analog channel; five stations chose other than their analog channel; and 34 stations that could not or did not elect a post transition channel.
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