Article: The "wheels are coming off" the repack

[comfortably_numb]

https://www.tvtechnology.com/repack/the-wheels-are-coming-off-the-repack

"Hidle identifies the root of the problem as an FCC goal that was way too ambitious; a position that most in the industry voiced when the 36-month construction timetable was announced."

 

[comfortably_numb]

And here's the FCC response: https://www.tvtechnology.com/repack/the-fcc-responds-about-repack

 

[Trip]

The last time I saw something that slanted, I was pushing a wheelchair up it.

- Trip

 

[Tower Guy]

Here in Albany, NY three UHF stations were running less than 10% power for almost two months. This was followed by several weeks of 25%. The STA’s (special temporary authority) do not always reflect the exact power that stations were running. They also shut down completely when the tower crew was working on the tower.

 

[Jim5506]

The gubmint just can't resist all that money from the cell phone carriers.

 

[Radioguy41]

It is not accurate in many cases to equate interim facilities with poor coverage or with transition delays. Some stations that have not entirely completed their construction may be using interim facilities with little or no decreased coverage or population loss but instead closely match their permitted facilities. Some station’s interim facilities have coverage that is better than the station’s pre-repack facilities and the remaining work to be done is to complete post-auction maximization.

So what the FCC is basically saying is that as long as they're close to full coverage, even though using temp facilities, the FCC includes those stations in the "Completed" figures. How nice. That's what you call "fudging the numbers" or "smoke blowing".

 

[comfortably_numb]

I hope the experiences that broadcasters and the FCC have had during this repack are taken into consideration when deciding to reduce or repack the C-band spectrum.