Update: Channel-Sharing Provision of New LPTV/TV Translator Rules Now in Effect

Slowly but surely the post-repack regulatory landscape for LPTVs and TV translators is getting established. Back in December, the Commission adopted a number of provisions addressing the predicaments likely to be faced by the LPTV/translator industries once the Broadcast Incentive Auction - and the consequent channel repack - and over and done with. As part of that regulatory package the Commission provided for channel sharing by LPTVs and translators. However, while the rest of the new rules took effect in March, Section 74.800 - the section governing channel sharing - did not, thanks to the hilariously-named Paperwork Reduction Act. Section 74.800, as it turns out, includes "information collection" requirements that had to be run past the Office of Management and Budget for its approval. We're pleased to report that, according to a notice published in the Federal Register, OMB has given the new rule the big thumbs up. As a result, Section 74.800 has become effective as of June 22, 2016.