Television Broadcasting Services Augusta, Georgia (2024)

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Federal Communications Commission.

Proposed rule.

The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a petition for rulemaking filed June 7, 2024, by Gray Television Licensee, LLC, the licensee of WRDW-TV, channel 12, Augusta, Georgia. Gray also holds a construction permit to construct a facility on channel 27 at Augusta. Gray now requests that the Bureau substitute channel 12 for channel 27 at Augusta in the Table of TV Allotments, with the technical parameters as set forth in WRDW-TV's current license.

Comments must be filed on or before July 24, 2024 and reply comments on or before August 8, 2024.

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: Joan Stewart, Esq., Wiley Rein LLP, Start Printed Page 52432 1776 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006.

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Joyce Bernstein, Media Bureau, at (202) 418-1647; or Joyce Bernstein, Media Bureau, at Joyce.Bernstein@fcc.gov.

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On May 5, 2021, the Bureau granted a petition for rulemaking submitted by Gray to substitute channel 27 for channel 12 at Augusta for WRDW-TV. On June 25, 2021, Gray was granted a construction permit for its new channel, which is scheduled to expire on June 25, 2024. In its Petition, Gray states that it will be unable to complete construction of the channel 27 facility by the expiration date. Thus, Gray requests amendment of the Table of TV Allotments to allow it to continue to operate on channel 12. Gray proposes to specify the technical parameters of its currently licensed channel 12 facility.

We believe that the Petitioner's channel substitution proposal for WRDW-TV warrants consideration. WRDW-TV is currently operating on channel 12 and the substitution of channel 12 for channel 27 in the TV Table of Allotments will allow the Station to remain on the air and continue to provide service to viewers within its service area. Given that Gray proposes to utilize its currently licensed parameters, we believe channel 12 can be substituted for channel 27 at Augusta as proposed, in compliance with the principal community coverage requirements of § 73.618(a) of the Commission's rules at coordinates 33-24′-37″ N and 081-50′-36.0″ W. In addition, we find that this channel change meets the technical requirements set forth in § 73.622(a) of the rules.

This is a synopsis of the Commission's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, MB Docket No. 24-153; RM-11983; DA 24-559, adopted June 13, 2024, and released June 13, 2024. 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 FCC504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Government Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (VOICE), (202) 418-0432 (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, see44 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, see47 CFR 1.1208. There are, however, exceptions to this prohibition, which can be found in § 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.

Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act: The Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act, Public Law 118-9, requires each agency, in providing notice of a rulemaking, to post online a brief plain-language summary of the proposed rule. The required summary of this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking/Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is available at https://www.fcc.gov/​proposed-rulemakings.

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• Television

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Proposed Rule

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

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

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

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2. In § 73.622, in the table in paragraph (j), under Georgia, amend by revising the entry for Augusta to read as follows:

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