Digital Television (DTV) Allotment Plan

1. Intent

Through the release of this document, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) hereby announces the new digital television (DTV) allotment plan resulting from the joint 600 MHz repurposing initiative with the United States. This DTV allotment plan officially replaces the previous plan published December, 2008.

2. Introduction

On August 14, 2015, ISED announced its decision to reconfigure the 600 MHz band and establish a new DTV allotment plan with the United States. As a result, ISED and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) developed a joint digital television (DTV) allotment plan by repacking over-the-air (OTA) television broadcasting stations more tightly in lower frequencies (Figure 1).

Figure 1—OTA TV channels and repurposed spectrum

3. DTV allotment plan

The DTV allotment plan provides an allotment for each existing Canadian regular power and low power TV station in operation on August 3, 2015. The plan is based on the principles, criteria and technical planning parameters outlined in ISED’s 600 MHz band repurposing decision. Canadian allotments within 360 km of the border area have been pre-coordinated with the United States. Annex A lists each Canadian OTA TV station’s current and post-transition DTV channel, as well as technical parameters (DTV allotment plan).

To implement the new DTV allotment plan, ISED and the FCC have developed a joint transition schedule.

4. Additional information

Information regarding the transition schedule as well as the application processes, technical standards and requirements, operational terms and conditions applicable to television broadcasting undertakings during the transition are detailed in Digital Television (DTV) Transition Schedule and Broadcasting Television Application Procedures during the 600 MHz Transition, respectively.

For questions or additional information regarding the 600 MHz repurposing initiative, DTV allotment plan or transition schedule, please contact ISED by email or by phone (343) 291-1568.

Issued under the authority of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.

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Martin Proulx
Director General
Engineering, Planning and Standards Branch

Annex A—DTV allotment plan

The DTV allotment plan provides an allotment for each existing Canadian regular power and low power TV station in operation on August 3, 2015. The plan consists of a table with headings for each station's current and post-transition DTV channel, technical parameters, geographic coordinates, city and province.

The allotments in the plan are listed alphabetically by province, then city. Antenna patterns are included after the allotments and are listed by pattern number. The gain at each specified azimuth is provided in relative field.

Explanatory notes

The definitions of the column headings of the plan are as follows:

Call sign: Call sign of the TV station

DTV channel: Channel number in the new DTV allotment plan

Existing channel: Channel number before the repurposing of the 600 MHz band (D denotes digital operation, A denotes analog operation)

Type: Type of station (RP denotes regular power, LP denotes low power)

Province: Province or territory, as follows:

• AB Alberta
• BC British Columbia
• MB Manitoba
• NB New Brunswick
• NL Newfoundland and Labrador
• NS Nova Scotia
• NT Northwest Territories
• NU Nunavut
• ON Ontario
• PE Prince Edward Island
• QC Quebec
• SK Saskatchewan
• YT Yukon

City: City name

Latitude: Latitude North (degrees, minutes, seconds in NAD83)
Longitude: Longitude West (degrees, minutes, seconds in NAD83)

Height: Height of the antenna’s Radiating Centre Above Mean Sea Level (RCAMSL in metres)

Power: Effective Radiated Power of the station (in Watts)

Emission mask: Stringent, Simple, DTV (as defined in BPR-10, Application Procedures and Rules for Digital Television (DTV) Undertakings)

Antenna pattern: Antenna pattern number (if the antenna pattern field is left blank, this indicates that the antenna is omnidirectional).