On June 2, 2014 the Commission
released a rulemaking titled “Expanding the Economic and Innovation
Opportunities of Spectrum Through Incentive Auctions,” GN Docket
12-268, Report and Order, FCC 14-50, 29 FCC Rcd 6567 (2014) which
adopted rules for holding an Incentive Auction. Full power and
Class A stations will be reassigned to a new channel via the
repacking process following the auction. Other stations will submit
winning bids to relinquish their channels, enter into channel
sharing agreements (and move to the channel of the station they are
sharing with); or to move from high-VHF to low-VHF channels or from
UHF to high-VHF or low-VHF. Each of these stations are required to
notify multichannel video programming providers (“MVPD”) that carry
the station of the fact that the station will be changing channels
or terminating operations. Section 73.3700 requires that full power
and Class A television stations assigned a new channel in the
incentive auction repacking, relinquishing their channel or moving
to a new channel as a result of a winning bid in the auction,
notify MVPDs of their termination of operations or change in
channel. On March 23, 2017, the Commission adopted the Report and
Order, Channel Sharing by Full Power and Class A Stations Outside
the Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction Context, GN
Docket No. 12-268, MB Docket No. 03-185, MB Docket No. 15-137, FCC
17-29 (“Report and Order”). This document approved channel sharing
outside of the incentive auction context between full power, Class
A, Low Power Television (LPTV) and TV translator stations. Channel
sharing stations also must notify MVPDs of the fact that stations
will be terminating operations on one channel to share another
station’s channel. Section 73.3800, Full Power Television Channel
Sharing Outside the Incentive Auction, Section 73.6028 Class A
Television Channel Sharing Outside the Incentive Auction and
Section 74.799 Low Power Television and TV Translator Channel
Sharing require that stations seeking to channel share outside of
the incentive auction provide notification to MVPDs of the fact
that the station will be terminating operations on one channel to
share another station’s channel.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.