By ROB OATLEY

You can’t depend on rabbit ears to get Rhode Island PBS Channels 36.1 and 36.2…not yet, anyhow.

Antenna transmission that went dark Sept. 20 was to have resumed on Oct. 19, however, according to a release due to unsafe weather conditions that has inhibited work on the 1,000-foot transmission tower has been postponed indefinitely.

This issue follows the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) recent announcement that TV stations be required to “repack” some broadcast frequencies in order to make room for wireless services. By doing so, the FCC groups this empty space to create a larger, uninterrupted span of service. Nearly 1,000 TV stations like WJAR NBC 10, WLNE ABC 6, and RI PBS are required to make this frequency change from Ultra High Frequency (UHF) to the Very High Frequency (VHF) band by 2020.  

“It’s insane that we are doing this on a day by day basis” said Lucie M. Raposo, Director of Public Information for RI PBS. “The Chief Engineer just told me that because they are working on it today, and we’re down to four to seven days left of work. However, because of the weather, seven days could take up to three weeks.” This ultimately leaves approximately 10 percent of RI PBS’ over the air subscribers like those from Spectrum (Charter), and i3 Broadband (Full Channel) without a proper connection to RI PBS. 

President of RI PBS, David W. Piccerelli stated in a recent press announcement, “Of course, we had hoped for the earliest possible completion date.” He added that, “Our equipment is being installed lower on the tower than that of WJAR and WLNE, so work on our behalf was third in order. While we were looking forward to getting back on the air quickly, these delays still fall within the broader scheduled time rate.”

In a memo to RI PBS, Broadcast Program Manager for the Stainless Corporation, Bill Allen, stated, “The schedule is a living, dynamic document [that] serves as an estimate of sequencing and timing for planning purposes. Task sequencing is solely in the hands of the crew foreman based on varying site conditions.”

Raposo said, “In the Bedford/Providence area our margin for subscribers who use something besides over the air are approximately 90 percent. But that number could be even higher. Then you turn the number around, and you get approximately 10 percent of over the air viewers. It doesn’t influence what we’re doing because we are still trying to get back on for everybody.” Raposo added, “I haven’t been given another date, and that’s the most distressing thing. The weather has been too unstable and they can’t project it out.”

For those over the air viewers with an access to the Internet, it is recommended to visit ripbs.org/stream in order to watch their current programming. In the press announcement Piccerelli suggested that viewers should visit the station’s website at ripbs.org/PlanToScan for updates, or call the FCC Consumer Hotline at 1-888-CALLFCC (1-888-225-5322) and press six at the prompt for more information.

In closing, Piccerelli said, “We regret any inconvenience this outage has caused. We extend our sincere thanks for the many kind messages of support, and for the public’s continued patience. We look forward to coming back over the air as soon as the weather breaks long enough to finish the job safely!”