Rural residents who rely on low-power television could be left in the dark by FCC changes

Agriculture and conservation organizations are asking the Federal Communications Commission to hold a public meeting about a planned incentive auction and subsequent channel re-pack that could leave many rural residents without access to local television programming, reports Andrew Dodson for TV News Check.

Low-power TV stations, which mostly serve small, isolated towns, aren't eligible to participate in the auction, and won't be included in the FCC's database when the re-pack takes place, Dodson reported in an earlier story. Stations would be put in the lower end of the UHF band and given new channel assignments, cutting off television for many rural Americans whose only source of television news and entertainment comes from low-power TV.

The organizations told the FCC, “In rural and mountainous areas, local broadcast television is often the only communications infrastructure that connects our communities. Over-the-air broadcast television often serves as our lifeline — connecting farmers, ranchers and growers to more populated areas. Our members rely heavily on broadcast television for local public affairs programming, news, weather and emergency information." (Read more)