Opinion ID: 517397
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Course of This Proceeding

Text: 7 Appellant HITN is a New York-based nonprofit educational organization which seeks to provide television programming targeted towards Hispanic viewers. On March 13, 1984, HITN filed an application for an ITFS station in Orlando, Florida which would use stations B1-B4. The application was placed on public notice on March 20, 1984. 8 On May 22, 1984, Daytona Beach Community College filed an application for an ITFS station in Deland, Florida. The Commission issued a public notice of the filing on May 29, 1984. The Deland station, as explained in DBCC's application, was intended to serve as part of an integrated ITFS system operating out of four Florida communities in which DBCC campuses are located. The Deland station would use channels B1-B4; the New Smyrna Beach station would use channels G1-G4; the Daytona Beach station would use channels D1-D4; and the Flagler Beach station would use channels B1-B4. Most of the programming would originate out of the Daytona Beach station and would be transmitted to the other three stations; it would then be retransmitted to various receive sites--such as schools and hospitals--in each of the four communities. 6 Occasionally, though, each of the stations would be used to originate programming. The four stations would follow identical programming schedules. Therefore, while the system as a whole would make use of twelve different channels (B1-B4, D1-D4, and G1-G4), only four discrete channels of programming would be presented at any given time. 9 DBCC's Deland application did contain one misstatement of fact which is relevant to the present dispute. Its application contained the affirmative statement that [t]here are no B-group stations or applications within 50 miles. Joint Appendix (J.A.) 4. The engineering firm which compiled DBCC's technical data apparently overlooked HITN's application, filed a short time previously, for a B-group station in Orlando. HITN's proposed Orlando site was located 33.8 miles from the proposed DBCC station in Deland. 10 Although HITN participated in the Commission's rulemaking proceedings, it heard nothing further about its Orlando application until October of 1986. It was then informed, by letter dated October 7, 1986, that its application had been rejected and that of DBCC accepted. Since the applications were mutually exclusive, since DBCC was a local and HITN a nonlocal applicant, and since HITN had failed to amend its application to substitute a local entity, the FCC's Mass Media Bureau had concluded that DBCC's proposal should be preferred. See J.A. 22. HITN petitioned for reconsideration. By letter dated April 28, 1987, the Chief of the Video Services Division denied the petition. See J.A. 32-35. 11 HITN then filed an Application for Review by the FCC. HITN first asserted that the DBCC system violated 47 C.F.R. Sec. 74.902(d), which provides that no licensee may be granted the use of more than four ITFS channels within the same area of operation. HITN also argued that the FCC had misconstrued the local priority rules announced in the Reconsideration and that a comparative hearing between the rival applicants was required. On April 6, 1988, the Commission affirmed the dismissal of HITN's application and the grant of the license to DBCC. Daytona Beach Community College, 3 F.C.C.Rcd. 1951 (1988). J.A. 84. This appeal followed.