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FCC
Releases Rules for Distributed Transmission Systems
On
Friday November 7, 2008, the FCC published a Report and Order
(R&O) containing the text of its Rules regulating the licensing
and operation of Digital Television Distributed Transmission System
Technologies (DTS). The Commission voted to adopt the Rules by
circulation earlier in the week. (See TV
TechCheck from
November 3, 2009 for additional background information). Below
is a summary of those Rules.
The Commission stated in the Introduction:
"We find that these rules will improve some DTV stations'
ability to serve more of their viewers within their service areas.
We expect that DTS will be especially useful in mountainous areas
where single transmitters have been unable to reach viewers in
valleys or those blocked by elevated terrain. Furthermore, DTS
may be a useful tool for stations to prevent some loss of service
to existing analog viewers resulting from changes to the station's
service area in the transition to digital service."
The FCC took
the following actions:
Defined a
DTS service area as being comparable to that of a station's single
transmitter facility. That is, a DTS broadcaster will be allowed
to apply to provide service to a distance comparable to the hypothetically
maximized service distance that could be reached by a single-transmitter
as defined in the "Table of Distances" shown below:
|
Channel
|
Zone
(see 47 C.F.R. § 73.609)
|
F(50,90)
field strength
|
Distance
from reference point
|
|
2-6
|
1
|
28
dBu
|
108
km. (67 mi.)
|
|
2-6
|
2
and 3
|
28
dBu
|
128
km. (80 mi.)
|
|
7-13
|
1
|
36
dBu
|
101
km. (63 mi.)
|
|
7-13
|
2
and 3
|
36
dBu
|
123
km. (77 mi.)
|
|
14-51
|
1,
2 and 3
|
41
dBu
|
103
km. (64 mi.)
|
The coverage
for each DTS transmitter is determined based on the F(50,90) field
strength given in the Table of Distances.
Adopted a
waiver policy to permit a station to use DTS if doing so will
enable it to continue to serve its existing analog viewers who
would otherwise lose service as a result of its transition to
digital service.
Afford primary
regulatory status to the multiple transmitters used in a DTS network
within the areas that such DTS transmitters are authorized to
serve.
Require that
each transmitter facility in a DTS system conform to the maximum
power, antenna HAAT and emission mask requirements applicable
to single-transmitter DTV stations.
Evaluate
DTS applications using the same interference standard used for
DTV stations' post-transition operations.
DTS transmitters
will not be separately licensed, but will be part of a linked
group covered by one construction permit and license.
Permit a
licensee of multiple digital Class A TV, digital LPTV, and/or
digital TV translator stations to operate through interconnected
single-frequency DTS networks, but will continue to separately
license each station in this interconnected single-channel network.
Approved
on an experimental basis the use of DTS technologies by a single
digital Class A TV, digital LPTV or digital TV translator station
to provide service within its authorized service area.
The R&O
is available on the FCC's Web site at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-256A1.pdf.
The
November 10, 2008 TV TechCheck is also available
in an Adobe Acrobat file.
Please click
here to read the Adobe Acrobat version of TV TechCheck.
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