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Chapter 24, Inc. Madison, Wisconsin Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 Society of Broadcast Engineers January 2006 Digital Photography AVOIDING AUTOMATIC TERMINATION OF Techniques BROADCAST AUXILIARY LICENSES ON 2/1/06 Dutch Treat Dinner By Chris Imlay, SBE General Counsel at 5:30 PM A number of issues were raised by the FCC almost a year ago in a January at Perkins 21, 2005 Declaratory Ruling (“DR”) regarding automatic terminations of 1410 Damon Road wireless radio service authorizations in the Universal Licensing System (ULS). SBE has since that time attempted to clarify the applicability of this DR to broadcast Auxiliary (BAS) facilities. We received the necessary clarifications Meeting and Program orally from FCC staff long ago, but it has been exceptionally difficult to get the at 7:00 PM FCC to clarify for broadcasters generally (by a revised public notice) the means necessary to protect Broadcast Auxiliary Service (BAS) licenses from cancellation. This is a basic “primer” that will not be news to all of you, but for Wisconsin Public those of you who have limited experience with the FCC’s ULS, there are some Broadcasting Center issues you must know about, and you need this information right now, to avoid automatic cancellations starting February 1, 2006. 3119 W. Beltline Hwy I. Background In This Issue: On January 21, 2005, the FCC issued its DR in Docket 05-23, which stated that, as of July 1, 2005, it would automatically terminate and delete from the ULS any wireless radio service authorization for which no notification of Minutes .............................. page 2 completion of construction had been filed. Though footnotes 2 and 4 of the DR listed the radio services affected by this automatic termination provision, Part Two New at FCC............. page 2 74 facilities were not listed. Section 1.901 of the FCC rules, however, does include Part 74 BAS facilities among the “wireless radio services.” This issue Amateur Radio News .... page 3 alone made it necessary for FCC to clarify the applicability of the automatic termination provisions. So, SBE filed on February 21, 2005 a Request for SBE's Short Circuits ..... page 6 Clarification of the DR, asking that the FCC clarify the applicability of the DR to Part 74, and other clarifications discussed below. In addition, SBE FCC Rulemakings .......... page 7 (continued on page 4) USDTV EXPANDS By Tom Smith The USDTV service is an over-the- The service bills itself as an all- air broadcast service which uses a DTV digital, low-cost alternative to the rising USDTV has announced that they set-top box to receive both regular and cost of cable TV services. The will be entering another market. This encrypted DTV signals The encrypted encrypted services include channel market will be the Norfolk/Hampton signals use the extra bandwidth that information with a major channel Roads, Virginia market, and will be the DTV stations have. number of 99, and sequential minor fifth market that they will have channel numbers (i.e. channel 99-x). operations in. They plan to start The service will cost $19.95 a month operation in the spring. for 11 encrypted channels with an USDTV was started in 2003 and additional $6.95 a month charge for received a $25 million dollar investment USDTV previously had operations Starz. The signup cost is $24.95 for from a number of TV broadcasters in in Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, and delivery and use of the set-top box. 2005 and became at that time U.S. Las Vegas, and recently started With the normal free over-the-air Digital Television, LLC. Their web operations in Dallas/Fort Worth. This channels also receivable with the set- address is www.usdtv.com. will be the first operation in the eastern top box, a viewer may access to up to half of the country. 30 channels. From USDTV Release SBE CHAPTER 24 NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 CHAPTER 24 December Business OFFICERS Meeting Minutes CHAIR: Chapter 24 of the Society of Broadcast Engineers met on Jim Magee (Avid Technology Inc.) December 13, 2005 at Fitzgerald’s Restaurant in Middleton. There W - 288-5152 were 10 members present of which 7 were certified. There were [email protected] also 2 guests. VICE CHAIR: As this was the annual Holiday Dinner meeting, a business meeting was not held. The members meet at 6 PM for drinks Dennis Baldridge followed by dinner at 7 PM. All enjoyed good food and W - 489-3999 conversation. [email protected] Respectfully submitted by Tom Smith, Secretary SECRETARY: Tom Smith (WHA-TV) W - 263-2174 [email protected] TWO FCC COMMISSIONERS SWORN IN TREASURER: Leslie Franzen (WMTV-TV) By Tom Smith W - 274-1515 On January 3rd, two FCC Commissioners were sworn in. Michael [email protected] J. Copps was sworn in for his second term as a FCC Commissioner and Deborah Taylor Tate was sworn in to replace Kathleen Abernathy Past-Chair whose term had expired. Abernathy did not seek reappointment. Vicki Kipp (ECB-TOC) Michael Copps fills one of the two Democratic seats with Jonathan [email protected] Adelstein, while Deborah Taylor Tate will fill one of the three Republican seats along with Chairman Kevin J. Martin. The third Republican seat is currently empty. COMMITTEE APPOINTEES Copps has been a member of the Commission since 2001 and Program Committee: was the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Development Steve Paugh 277-5139 in the Commerce Department before joining the Commission. Fred Sperry 264-9806 Steve Zimmerman 274-1234 Tate was the Director of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority for the past six years and the Chair from 2003-2004. She also served Membership: on a number of telecommunications and utility Committees. She Paul Stoffel is an attorney and served as an advisor for past Tennessee [email protected] Governors particularly in mental health and juvenile issues. She in married with three children. Her term runs until June 30, 2007. Sustaining Membership: From FCC Releases (www.fcc.gov) Fred Sperry W - 264-9806 [email protected] Certification and Education: Chapter 24 On the Jim Hermanson 836-8340 SBE [email protected] World Wide Web : http://www.sbe24.org Frequency Coordination: Tom Smith W - 263-2174 Steve Paugh is the editor for the Electronic [email protected] Version of this Newsletter, uploaded monthly onto SBE Chapter 24's web page. National SBE Chapter Liaison: Leonard Charles Download it as as an Adobe Acrobat pdf file or W - 271-4321 FAX - 271-1709 view it with your favorite web browser! [email protected] PAGE 3 January 2006 Chapter 24 Seeking AMATEUR RADIO NEWS Newsletter Editor By Tom Weeden, WJ9H The Chapter 24 Newsletter is published monthly by SBE • Another “Broadband over Power Line” complaint was filed with the FCC Chapter 24 Inc., Madison, WI. on January 5 by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) over the renewal of the Ambient Corporation’s BPL system in Briarcliff Manor, New York. The Could you be the next system is operated by Ambient, on power lines owned and operated by newsletter editor? Chapter 24 is Consolidated Edison, under an experimental FCC authorization. seeking a volunteer to become the next editor of the award The latest communication points out that the FCC, without adjudicating winning Chapter 24 newsletter. ARRL’s repeated complaints about interference throughout the amateur 20 Good PC skills are helpful and meter band, renewed Ambient’s experimental license for an additional experience with PageMaker for term, from August 1, 2005 to August 1, 2007. “The Briarcliff Manor BPL Windows a plus. system currently (still) causes harmful interference to Amateur Radio communications and it is not compliant with applicable FCC part 15 Please contact the Chapter regulations,” according to the ARRL complaint. “Neither,” it continues, “is Chair for more information. it compliant with the terms of the experimental authorization granted by the Commission, most recently on August 1, 2005.” ARRL reasserted its request that the BPL facility be instructed to shut Chapter 24 down immediately, and that it not resume operation unless the facility is shown to be in full compliance with Commission rules regarding radiated Listserver Available emissions and with the non-interference requirement of the Commission’s Chapter 24 members are Rules and the terms of the experimental authorization. The complaint also invited to join the chapter listserver. demands that information about the system must be listed in the FCC- required BPL publicly accessible database. To subscribe, send an email message to the following address: ARRL’s Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, wrote in a supplemental [email protected]. report after conducting further tests at the site December 5, 2005, that he In the body of email message type: had conducted similar tests twice before during 2005, and three times subscribe. (The subject line can during 2004. In this earlier testing, Hare found significant violations of FCC be left blank.) rules regarding Part 15 emissions limits. The Mailman package the The January 5 complaint, entitled “Continued Request for Immediate listserver is running on also has a Cessation of Operation,” was signed by ARRL Counsel Christopher D. web interface for subscribing to Imlay, W3KD. (Imlay is also counsel for SBE.) the list. Point your browser to www.broadcast.net/mailman/ • The only survivor of the January 3 mine explosion in Tallmansville, listinfo/msnsbe to subscribe. West Virginia is Randal McCloy Jr, KC8VKZ, of Philippi, West Virginia. At Instructions and a confirmation press time, he was listed in critical condition at Allegheny General Hospital message will be emailed to you. in Pittsburgh, where he is undergoing specialized treatment. Fellow hams may wish to send a note of support on a QSL card to Randal McCloy Jr, The SBE National also has a KC8VKZ, PO Box 223, Philippi, WV 26435.