Boulder. Oct. 18, 2006
Now that a firm date for the termination of analogue broadcasting has been set, there is increased urgency to resolve our local DTV tower siting issues otherwise large numbers of homes in the Denver metro area may be without free over-the-air television service. At issue is the proposal by the Lake Cedar Group, channels 4, 7, 9 and 20 that is currently seeking permission to build a consolidated tower on Lookout Mountain. The Feb. 17, 2009 shutoff date is not far away and local broadcasters need time to make the transition. Broadcasters are required by the FCC to provide a transition period where both analog and digit broadcasting is offered. The temporary low power digital broadcasts from the Lake Cedar Group stations do not currently reach many residents in the Denver metro area. One possible solution is the timely construction of the consolidated tower for Lookout Mountain proposed by the Lake Cedar Group. Construction of the consolidated tower requires that the county rezone the land. This has been challenged in court and in May 2006 the judge remanded the case back to Jefferson County with the message that the Board must either affirm or reject the proposed zoning and that the Board is obligated to make a decision. (See Lookout Mountain May 23, 2006 Court Decision on our Towers page.) The Jefferson County Board is expected to vote by the end of the year or early in 2007 to uphold or deny the previous commissioners' approval of the Lake Cedar Group proposal. Also pending is a ruling from a Jefferson County judge on plans by the city of Golden to use eminent domain to buy the land for the proposed new tower and thereby block its construction. If denyed the city is likely to appeal the decision which would tie up the land for several years. Denial or delays might thus lead to reconsideration of alternative tower sites in the Denver area. The link below titled "What's the alternative?" summarizes some of the problems associated with using the various alternative sites.
Tom Meyer

Links