FCC Grants Qualcomm Permission

FCC GRANTS QUALCOMM PERMISSION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The FCC has granted Qualcomm permission to operate on channel 55 in St. Louis and Norfolk, Va., after WRSP, the Fox station on channel 55 in nearby Springfield, Ill., and WHAG, THe NBC stations in Hagerstown, Md., agreed to accept interference to some analog viewers. Qualcomm says it is spending $800 million to roll out a national video service, MediaFLO, to wireless phones using channel 55, which is being vacated along with other channels in the 700 mHz band when TV switches to all-digital in 2009. In the interim, the FCC is allowing Qualcomm to pay stations to vacate the band early, and nearby stations to accept increased interference levels, so it can launch its next-generation wireless service. The FCC takes into account how many viewers will be affected and what alternative viewing choices they have before deciding whether to grant the applications.
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