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IntheMattaof 1 of:\ 1 1 second Periodic Review of the ) MBDockdNo.03-15 complirsion's Rules and Policies 1 Affecting the Conversion ) RM9832 To Digital Television 1 1 ) REPORT AND ORDER TABLEOFCONTENTS Heading I. INTRODUCIlON .................................................................................................................................. 1 II. BACKGROUND ...................................................................................... .. ............................_................7 m.' PROGRESS REPORT .......................................................................................................................... 11 A. Buildat Status .............................. ................................................. .............................................. 12 B. DTV Equipment Availability ......................................................................................................... 16 c. Ongoing Commission Effm to Encolnage the DTV Tnnsiti~.................................................. 19 N.ISSUE ANALYSIS .......................................................... * .............................-.....................................22 A. Channel Election ............................................................................................................................ 1. Channel El&on and Repecking Aaxsf / New Al1-t procesS ...................................... 33 2. Freezeof~toQlangeAllotmnts....."..............'."...'................................................. 68 3. Border Intcdfacncc I\sues................................................................-......................................70 B. Replication and M~zStion...............~.......................................................................................72 1. Si* Channel Broadwrtns ...................................................................................... ,............ 88 2. my Sumnda of LYIV out-ofcae Qlanoels ("Ha& Cut") ................................................ 89 C. Satellite Station0..................................................................... ............................... - ........................ 98 D. Disposal 0fConStnrCtion Permits and Appk&ms for Replic&~~hfilXimization................... 107 E. Putding DTV Construction permit Applications ........................................................................ 110 F. Intermediate Si@ Level .......................................................................,....................................114 G. Interfenace Protection of Adog and Digital Television !h'hh m 5 1-69 .... ..... 116 1. Definitionof 'tActunl" pllrameters ........................................................................................ 116 2. Applications for New Analog TV of DTV Facilities ............................................................ 118 3. Channel 51 ................................................................................................................................ H. Simulcasting..................,..............................................................................................................l~ I 1 1. 0 Federal Communications Commission KCO4-x92 1. Noncommercial Educational Television Stations ........................................................................138 J. DTV Transmission Standard and PSP ........................................................................................ 142 1. Update of the DTV Transmission Standard .......................................................................... 142 2. Psp ........................................................................................................................ ............. 149 3. PSIP and DTV VaP.......................................................................................................... 154 4. PSIP and LpTV/Tv Translators............................................................................................ 160 K. DTV Closed Capti. ............................................................................................................... 161 L. DTV Labeling Requirements and Consumer Awareness ............................................................ 166 M. DTV Station Identification........................................................................................................... 169 . N. Distributed Transmission Technologies....................................................................................... 174 V. PROCEDURAL MATTERS ..............................................................................................................179 VI. ORDERING CLAUSES .....................................................................................................................183 Appendix A: List of Commentcrs and Reply Comentm Appendix B: Final Rules Appendix C: Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Appemdix D. DTV Chstr~~tionProgress Appendix E Re-Election Certification Form Appendix F: Digital Channel Election Forms I. INTRODUCTION 1. With this Report and Order in OUT second periodic review, we resolve several issues important to the rapid conversion of the nation's broadcast television system hm analog to digital television ("DTV"). The Commission conducts these periodic reviews of the progress of the digid conversion to make any adjustments necessary to OUT rules and policies to "ensure that the intduction of digital television and the recovery of spectrum at the end of the transition fWy SQVQ~the public interest."' In our first DTV periodic review, begun in March 2000, we addressed a number of issues important to the transition? In the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking m this secand periodic review, wc revisited several issues addressed in the first periodic review and sought CanrmQlt on additid isma that we consider necessary to resolve in order to ensure continud pro^ on the digital transition? We d ' Advanced Telenkion Systems and Their Impact upon the Exisring Television Broadcart Servtor, 12 FCC Rcd 12809, 12856 (1997) ("Fijtlr Report and order"), on recon., 13 FCC Rcd 6860 ("sauin R-idation Order"), onfurlher recon., 14 FCC Rcd 1348 (1998) ("SecondMOdOon Rectm. of the Fjth &Sixth R&Os"or "DTVSecond MO&O"),recon. dismissed, Order, 14 FCC Rcd 11572 (1999), recon. dismisedv Order, 15 FCC Rcd 4760 (2000). Rcvlew of the Commission 's Rules and Policies Affecting the Conversion to Digital Television. 16 FCC Rcd 5946 (2001) ("First DTV Periodic Report and OmW), on recon., 16 FCC Rcd 20594 (2001) ("First DW Periodic MMO"), Second Report and Order and Second Memorandum Opinion and Order, 17 FCC Rcd 15978 (2002) ("DTV Tuner Order") (addnssing DTV receiver scamlards and labeling rcq ' . ), lliird Memorandum Opinion and Order on Reconsideration, 17 FCC Rcd 1857 1 (2002) (deny@ a PctitiOn for Rccolnidaation Oft& demnhtion in the MOBtO that DTV area expansion applications must protect catsin cariier-filed NTsc applications). ' Second Periodic Review of the Conunisswn 's Rules and Policies Affeting the Conversion to Digital Televirwn, 18 FCC Rcd 1279 (2003) ("NPRM" or "Second DWPeriodic NPRM"). 2 A Federal Communications Commission FCC 04-192 received numerous comments in rtsp0n;rt to our WRM: 2. In this Report and Order, we adopt a multi-step channel election and repaclang prooess through which broadcast licensees and parnittees (“licensees”) will select their ultimate DW channel inside the core (i.e., channels 2-51). The process will start in Novrmber 2004 with licensees filing certain pretlection certifications. In Deccmber 2004, licensees currently with an marc channel (whether one or two) will make their channel elections m the first round of elections. Licensees cumntly with only outsf-core channels (i.e., channels 52-69), as well as licensees electing to be treated like them, will file elections in the second round, urpecttd in July 2005. Licensees without confirmed elections from the previous two rounds will file elections in the third round, arpocted in Jan~ay2006. In a Public Notice released August 3,2004, the Media Bureau implcmcnted a fraze on the fila of certain TV and DTV requests for allotment or service area chwges to facilitate the charmel election and repacking process? The ficeze is descnbcd in section N.A., infm. 3. We adopt the following replication and maximizationprotection deadlines: July 1,2005 - Use-ita-lose-it deadline for DTV licensees affiliated with the top-four networks (Le., ABC,CBS, Fox and NBC) in msrkets 1-10. Those licarsees that rcceivt Itentative DTV channel designation in the channel election process on their cumnt digital chsrmel must construct full, authorized facilities. Those licensees that receive a tentative DTV channel designation on a channel that is not their ament DTV charmtl must SCNC at least 100 pacent of the number of viewers served by the 1997 facility on which their replication CO~was based. 0 Jdy 1, 2006 - Use-ita-lose-it deadline for all otha commraCial DTV licarsees &p well as noncommercial DTV licensees. Those licensees that Teceive a tentative DTV channel designation in the channel election process on their CMmt digital channel must canstruct full, authorized DTV facilities. Those licensees that receive a tentative DTV chanml designation a channel that is not their cumnt DTV channel must serve at least 80 percent of the number of viewm served by the 1997 facility on which their replication cow rag^ was based. 4. In evaluating service areas wc will consider the population served within the geographic