FCC policy (nor the congressional mandates that drive it) is never going to have even the slightest impact on Physics.
Given the sardine packing treatment channels are getting in some areas, you may have to wait for all phases to complete before you can make the call as to whether the signal is "equivalent".
There's also the issue of combining your 300 ohm rabbit ears with your 75 ohm UHF antenna.
Luckily, I am able to receive WTCI Chattanooga PBS which will still be on UHF. WDEF is moving to 8, which I currently get all hi-VHF channels with an indoor flat amplified antenna. All UHF signals come from a UHF 4 bay Channel Master 10 ft up with a preamp. Currently I get all UHF channels reliably, although WDSI is the weakest. It seems to have the lowest power output according to tvfool. Most websites that calculate reception, (estimated I know) say it is out of range. But it is still reliable. WTCI is next lowest. WFLI actually is stronger. I talked with engineers before I put up my antenna and was told Lafayette GA is actually "up" a little higher than most areas around N GA so I should with a good preamp get most if not all Chattanooga stations, except the very low power stations. I could go all out and get an old fashioned VHF/UHF huge lots of elements antenna, but don't need the low powered stations.
The final RF channel assignments may not be ironed out until next year. The second and final round of "appeals" (the Second Filing Window") doesn't close until November 2nd and the FCC and the appellants will have to duke it out after that. With significant holidays in them, the last two months of the year are more like one business month at best.
Just a thought on that last sentence..with some channels disappearing, mostly subs, for most major cable tv outfits the signals are brought in via underground fiber. Couldn't the cable companies seize that opportunity to advertise while some channels are disappearing OTA, they will remain on if you subscribe to their cable tv service, seeing as how customers already pay a broadcast tv fee?
How good are you at telling the future? The answer is a year in the future, and involves Federal Regulations.
That depends on how they're set for bandwidth. Some cable operations are struggling for bandwidth just as much or more than the broadcast stations. As they've turned over some of their bandwidth to phone service and security services and an increasing amount to broadband Internet, they're stuffed. And all of this while still slumming along with MPEG2 for their SD and HD video content delivery.
