Evening star., 1948-09-30
A||App|ications
For N Stations
Frozen by FEC
Action Taken Pending
Engineering Studies
Of Band Now Used

The Federal Communication
Commission today ordered frozen
all pending applications for
television station construction
permits and announced no more
would be considered pending a
thorough study of engineering
problems in the present televi-
sion frequency band. More than
300 applications are affected.
Chairman Wayne Coy emphasized
the action had no direct bearing on
the commissions consideration of
the practicability of using higher
frequencies for television. He added
it would not quicken obsolescence of
television sets now in use.
The only effect on television here
is to delay a determination of
whether Station WTOP, Columbia
Broadcasting System affiliate, will
be able to enter television.
In pending FEC proceeding in
volving possible reallocation of tele-
vision channels among cities, WTOP
has been seeking assignment to
Washington of a channel now al
loted to Fredericksburg, Va. A
controlling interest in the station
has been acquired from CHS by the
Washington Post.
Channels Here Distributed.
The four channels allocated to
Washington have been distributed.
Three stations WNBW, WMAL-
TV and WTTG-are on the air.
The fourth, KOIC, is scheduled to
being operation in January.
At news conference, Mr.. Coy
explained the purpose of today's
action was to avoid complicatine
the television station licensing pic
ture further while the commission
was deciding what new engineer
ing standards, if any. it should
ADOPT.
He estimated the freeze would
last from to 8 months. Mr. Coy
said the engineering study might
result in a reapportionment of ex-
isting channels among cities, but
would not produce an increase in
the total number of channels in
the present band.
Meanwhile, he continued, the FEC
might give further attention to the
possible use of higher frequencies
for television. Some engineers have
contended these would provide a
better service, particularly for the
coming color television.
He was asked how a prospective
purchaser of a television receiver
should view the situation. He re-
piled that, if the person were like
a man who was always expecting a
new model automobile and decid-
ing to wait for the last one" he
probably should not buy a set. If,
one the other hand. "he wants tele-
vision to enjoy today" he'd advise
him to buy, Mr.. Coy added
To various questions on the point
of whether the FEC was consider
ing an early shift to higher fire.
quencies for television. Mr.. Coy said
his best answer was that its action
in seeking to improve the service
technically in the present band
should convince you that the COM
mission is not expecting to cease
that service tomorrow morning"
The 81 television station now on
the air and the 86 holders of con-
struction permits will not be af-
fected by today's order, Mr.. Coy ex-
planned.
Technical Reports Studied.
The commissions interest in re-
examining its television standards
stems from reports from technicians
of existing station concerning the
effectiveness of power now author
ized, use of directional antennae
and interference with other sta
tions.
Since, in general, television sig
mails do not extend far beyond the
horizon as viewed from a stations
antennae, 150-mile separation of
stations on the same channe, and
75-mile separation among those on
adjacent channels has been con-
sidered sufficient. So-calied "tropos-
pherci interference" in which sig
nails have affected one another at
longer ranges, have been reported
since a substantial number of tele-
vision station have taken to the
air.
Even If higher frequencies than
now used are found best for tele-
vision some years hence. Mr.. Coy
pointed out converters will be manu-
factured to adapt existing receivers
to them. even as is being done in the
case of frequency modulation broad
casting. He showed newsmen such
converter, being used experiment
tally, which had been attached to a
conventional television set in his
office.