FCC Grants Three Post-Auction Phase Reassignments

The FCC has created a website to update TV stations on the latest information and changes in the post-auction TV station repack phase assignments, which includes three changes in the inaugural edition. 

According to the log of changes, three stations have been granted their request to move phases—WTVQ Lexington, Ky., moves from phase three to phase six; WECT Wilmington, N.C., moves from phase seven to phase five; and WWAY, also Wilmington, moves from phase seven to phase five as well.

Stations—most of a thousand of them—having to move in the post incentive auction repack are being assigned—or in the above case asking to be reassigned—to one of 10 phases. The first phase beginsSept. 14, 2018and the tenth ends July 3, 2020.

"In an effort to keep broadcasters up to date on changes to a particular station's channel and phase assignment during this transition," the FCC said in announcing the new site, "we have created this website to provide the most up-to-date version of each of these files. These files will be updated within a few days of any change that has been granted by the FCC."

The initial construction permits for new facilities as part of that repack, and the initial estimates of what it will cost, are dueJuly 12.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.