2022-08342. Television Broadcasting Services Hampton, Virginia

AGENCY:

Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION:

Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:

The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by WVEC Television, LLC (Petitioner), the licensee of WVEC, channel 11, Hampton, Virginia. The Petitioner requests the substitution of channel 35 for channel 11 at Hampton in the Table of Allotments.

DATES:

Comments must be filed on or before May 19, 2022 and reply comments on or before June 3, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

Federal Communications Commission, Office of the Secretary, 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. In addition to filing comments with the FCC, interested parties should serve counsel for the Petitioner as follows: Michael Beder, Esq., Associate General Counsel, TEGNA, Inc., 8350 Broad Street, Suite 2000, Tysons, Virginia 22102.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Joyce Bernstein, Media Bureau, at [phone]; or Joyce Bernstein, Media Bureau, at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In support of its channel substitution request, the Petitioner states that the Commission has recognized that VHF channels have certain characteristics that pose challenges for their use in providing digital television service, including propagation characteristics that allow undesired signals and noise to be receivable at relatively far distances. According to the Petitioner, it has received many complaints from viewers unable to receive a reliable signal on channel 11, despite being able to receive the NBC, CBS, and FOX network affiliates in the Norfolk, Virginia market, all of which operate on UHF channels. The proposed channel change would not cause any loss of service to viewers of WVEC's existing coverage area.

This is a synopsis of the Commission's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, MB Docket No. 22-151; RM-11927; DA 22-404, adopted April 13, 2022, and released April 13, 2022. The full text of this document is available for download at https://www.fcc.gov/​edocs. To request materials in accessible formats (braille, large print, computer diskettes, or audio recordings), please send an email to [e-mail] or call the Consumer & Government Affairs Bureau at [phone] (VOICE), [phone] (TTY).

This document does not contain information collection requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. In addition, therefore, it does not contain any proposed information collection burden “for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees,” pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4). Provisions of the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, 5 U.S.C. 601-612, do not apply to this proceeding.

Members of the public should note that all ex parte contacts are prohibited from the time a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is issued to the time the matter is no longer subject to Commission consideration or court review, see 47 CFR 1.1208. There are, however, exceptions to this prohibition, which can be found in Section 1.1204(a) of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 1.1204(a).

See Sections 1.415 and 1.420 of the Commission's rules for information regarding the proper filing procedures for comments, 47 CFR 1.415 and 1.420.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

• Television

Federal Communications Commission.

Thomas Horan,

Chief of Staff, Media Bureau.

Proposed Rule

For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal Communications Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR part 73 as follows:

PART 73—RADIO BROADCAST SERVICE

1. The authority citation for part 73 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 155, 301, 303, 307, 309, 310, 334, 336, 339.

§ 73.622

[Amended]

2. In § 73.622 in paragraph (j), amend the Table of Allotments under Virginia by revising the entry for Hampton to read as follows:

§ 73.622

Table of allotments.

* * * * *

(j) * * *

Community	Channel No.
*    *    *    *    *
VIRGINIA
*    *    *    *    *
Hampton	35
*    *    *    *    *