FCC Majority Votes To Approve Amended Low-Power Item

Apparently, a majority of Federal Communications Commission has voted for a low-power TV item that has been the source of extreme friction between FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and his fellow commissioners. This action would: 1) Establish rules allowing low-power TV stations to apply for second channels during their switch to digital. 2) Propose a 2012 hard date for that switch (currently there is no hard date for low power TV stations). 3) Open an inquiry into various ways to boost carriage of low-power TV stations by multichannel video providers after the switch to digital, including granting Class A low powers (there are over 500) must-carry status on cable, as well as potentially allowing other low-powers to qualify for carriage on public, access and government (PEG) cable channels and on DBS set-asides currently reserved for non-commercials.