Mullaney Engineering and others have proposed taking advantage of the DTV transition and the repurposing of a swathe of television spectrum to relieve pressure on the FM radio dial. The idea is to take Channel 6, and perhaps Channel 5 as well, to eliminate grandfathered close-spacings, make room for noncommercial and low power stations and perhaps open up spectrum to minority, female and other socially-disadvantaged businesses.
The Association of Maximum Service Television Inc. (MSTV) has filed reply comments saying the proposal is fundamentally flawed and without merit. MSTV thinks it came too late in the process — maybe after the deadline — and would put undue pressure on the television stations which are planning to reside on those frequencies going ahead into the DTV transition. MSTV says its more than the relative handful of full-power television stations on those channels that would be affected, citing "hundreds of low power television services using these channels…" MSTV says the proposal constitutes "an end-around on the required notice-and-comment rulemaking" procedure at the eleventh hour and should therefore be dismissed.
RBR/TVBR observation: We understand MSTV’s point, but this remains an intriguing proposal on a number of levels. More to come.
