MVTVD Works To Restore Channels Lost In Repack

By VICTORIA PRAY

Moapa Valley Progress

After months of lost television channels, due to the shutdown of several frequencies, the Moapa Valley Television District (MVTVD) has received the equipment necessary to return things to full functionality.

Three months ago the district had to take down five broadcast frequencies that re-broadcasted 30 channels to local households. In a 2017 federal broadband auction, T-Mobile Communications spent $8 billion to buy 45 percent of the available spectrum, including low-band coverage of some kind in every region in America. This caused the MVTVD to have to shut down five of their licensed frequencies located in that spectrum. They had to file for new frequencies to relocated the stations. Then they had to purchase new equipment to accommodate the new frequencies.

The equipment has included new device from Italy, which combines the frequencies to a single antenna as well as other materials like wiring. This equipment arrived in December and MVTVD crews worked hard to get all of the channels back up and running.

MVTVD Board member Roy Wilmer was in charge of getting the combiner installed. It has taken countless hours to move the old frequencies to the new frequencies.
“It is a process that takes time,” Wilmer said. “I am working hard to get them all up to speed. Until we are finished with the conversion process to the new combiner, there will be weekly changes. I recommend that the residents rescan their televisions at least once a week.”

The rescanning process allows the antennas to be able to pick up the new channel signals. Because there is still a lot of work to do, channels are changing or being added.

Originally the process was only going to take a month, but it was more complicated to complete it than the district officials realized. There will be weekly changes and it is estimated it could take up to three months to finish completing the change.

Residents are encouraged to contact MVTVD board membewr Daniel Pray to answer questions. Or questions can be posed during public comment period at the MVTVD board meetings that take place at the Old Logandale School on the first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m.