FCC Approves DTV Translators - Will Help Fill Gaps in Digital Signal Coverage
The FCC has voted to approve the use of translators in areas where broadcast signals will be lost after the digital transition. The coverage gaps, which can be found in the map book provided
here, can result from a number of variables involved in the construction of new digital broadcast towers and differences between analog and digital signals. Translators are designed to provide a signal to areas that should receive a broadcast signal but will not after the digital transition; the translator signal uses a different channel than that normally used by the broadcaster. This item was approved on circulation after the FCC’s scheduled December meeting was canceled. This follows the FCC’s previous approval of the use of distributed transmission systems (DTS) to provide low-power signal supplementation in areas where broadcast signals were absent.
