(STA) Special temporary Authority

[nostar]

Doesn't seem temporary or Special. Who dreamed this up?

I've been watching, or trying to watch a STA HD station, 5.5kw on channel 28.1, in my DMA for 4 years now. 5.5kw is not a reasonable amount of UHF power to receive at 36 miles from the transmitter.

There doesn't seem to be a standard for the amount of power allocated for STA stations or transmitting antenna heights for that matter.

I think the digital transition would have been better served if the power to analog transmitters had been reduced while their digital counterparts had been increased simultaneously.

Just a thought.

[dsanbo]

nostar.....
The FCC can grant an STA to a station for a number of reasons...and, yes, the "temporary" part sometimes seems superfluous....but....
Unforseen circumstances (weather, esp. given the recent hurricane season in Fla.) could prevent a stationfrom completing necessary changes. Sometimes an extension is given due to financial hardship/ownership control change, etc. And even a delay on parts availability can cause an STA to drag out longer than expected.
There are cases, too, where, upon going on line with changes....extensive field testing must be done to make sure the signal is within its legal parameters; this alone can take months, since a theoretical coverage area to be tested may extend FAR beyond the station's ACTUAL area of planned coverage....
Clear as mud....?;)

[Cholly]

Quite a few stations were wooed by a now defunct equipment manufacturer which sold them low power equipment at a bottom dollar price, promising to take it in trade when the digital transition neared. Now these stations are stuck with transmitters that no one will take in trade. At the time, it seemed like a good deal, because it satisfied the FCC requirements that stations begin digital transmission, and avoided for a time the cost of high powered transmitters and tall antenna structures.

[nostar]

The FCC can grant an STA to a station for a number of reasons

As far as I can determine, the FCC has given Special Temporary Authority to every station in North Florida at one time or another, and perhaps stations in the entire state.

That's what I meant when I wrote that there really wasn't anything special about the authority. Many stations are still operating under this authority.

I understand that the transition is a burden to small market stations that have to worry about their bottom line, but I purchased a HD receiver 4 years ago, thinking that I would soon be able to receive local OTA HD. This was a burden to my bottom line.

Remember that these station have received this bandwidth for free.

[oldave]

I purchased a HD receiver 4 years ago, thinking that I would soon be able to receive local OTA HD. This was a burden to my bottom line.
On the other hand, you could have contacted the stations locally to see what their current status was, and what their plans were before you made that investment.

Your complaint is with the Commissions rules - the stations are working within those rules.

[DTC mac]

The FCC has to call these licenses Special Temporary Athorizations so the broadcasters won't have a grandfather claim when they terminate.