FCC FREEZES TV CHANNEL ALLOTMENTS IN 30 CITIES

The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to freeze allotments of television channels in 30 major metropolitan areas while it studies whether the current TV technical standards are outdated.

The freeze, which also affects construction permit applications, went into effect at 5:30 p.m. (EDT) Thursday. It will not apply to changes by existing stations or applications already on file.

“Significant technological advancement in broadcast television appears every generation or so,” FCC Chairman Dennis R. Patrick said. “Today, we officially embark on a course which may ultimately result in yet another generation of television technology.”

One of the advancements Patrick alluded to is high-definition TV, which scans nearly twice the number of horizontal lines that make up a picture on a conventional set. Other advancements, the commission said, range from fairly modest improvements to revolutionary changes.

“The government shouldn’t be standing in the way of new technology, it should be encouraging it,” said Commissioner Patricia Dennis.

The body of television technical standards now in effect was devised in 1941. The FCC said those standards reflect the technological limits of the early days of television and are considered today to limit video and audio quality.

The commission also agreed to seek industry comment on the status of advanced television systems and determine what role the government should play in promoting their growth.

The FCC said it also planned to look at the separation between UHF channel assignments, which were set up so the signal of one television station did not interfere with another. The result, according to Lex Felker, engineering assistant to Patrick, is that there are many unalloted UHF channels.

But Patrick said that before the FCC takes action on advanced systems, it should consider the compatibility with current TVs, the amount of additional spectrum capacity the new systems will require and how much improvement the systems offer.

The 30 metropolitan areas affected by the freeze are: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington, Houston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Seattle-Tacoma, Miami, Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Tampa-St. Petersburg, St. Louis, Denver, Sacramento-Stockton, Indianapolis, Hartford-New Haven, Portland, Ore.; Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Mo.; Charlotte, N.C.; Nashville, Columbus, Ohio, and New Orleans.