In telecommunications, frequency sharing or channel sharing is the assignment to or use of the same radio frequency by two or more stations that are separated geographically or that use the frequency at different times. It reduces the potential for mutual interference where the assignment of different frequencies to each user is not practical or possible.

Channel sharing in digital television

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U.S. mobile data usage in 2017 was 40 times that in 2010, forcing frequencies to be reallocated.[1][2][3] The FCC's 2016 auction allowed two or more stations to share a single 6 MHz television channel while retaining their licenses and all rights.[4][5][6]

NBC sold the spectrum of three of its stations in the 2017 FCC auction: WNBC New York, Telemundo WSNS-TV Chicago and WWSI Philadelphia. Other NBC stations in the market would begin channel sharing with those stations; for instance, Comcast moved Channel 28 WNBC onto Telemundo's Channel 35 WNJU, broadcasting both stations from WNJU's antenna.[7][8][9][10] Stations had to either channel-share with another TV station in this way or go off the air by Jan. 23, 2018.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "As cellphones gobble bandwidth, TV stations change frequencies". The Altamont Enterprise. Albany County, New York. July 22, 2019.
  2. ^ "The State of Wireless 2018 Report". CTIA. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  3. ^ https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-355217A1.pdf
  4. ^ Oxenford, David (24 March 2017). "FCC Adopts New Rules for Post-Incentive Auction Channel Sharing – Including Opportunities for LPTV and TV Translators to Increase Over-the-Air Coverage". Broadcast Law Blog. By David Oxenford on March 24, 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  5. ^ https://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0323/DOC-344040A1.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  6. ^ https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-17-29A1.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  7. ^ "FCC Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction Auction 1001 Winning Bids" (PDF). fcc.gov. 2017-04-04. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  8. ^ "NBC Makes Over $480 Million From Auction". TV News Check. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  9. ^ Newman, Jared (20 April 2017). "What cord-cutting TV antenna users need to know about the FCC's spectrum auction". TechHive. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  10. ^ Sanders, Scott (27 November 2017). "WYCC may have sold for up to $130 million less than it is worth". Reel Chicago. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  11. ^ Channick, Robert (2017-09-22). "Chicago PBS station WYCC hoping to stay on the air through deal with WTTW". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
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  This article incorporates public domain material from Federal Standard 1037C. General Services Administration. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22.