This will be of particular interest to those who are responsible for transportable (satellite news gathering – SNG) uplinks. Section §25.281(b) of the FCC rules states, “As of June 1, 2016, transmissions of fixed-frequency, digitally modulated video signals with a symbol rate of 128,000/s or more from satellite news gathering vehicles or other temporary-fixed earth stations must be identified through use of an ATIS…” ATIS stands for Automatic Transmitter Identification System, which is also known as Carrier Identification (CID). There have been concerns raised by broadcasters about the cost and availability of equipment to provide this for older SNG vehicles. 
The SBE recently confirmed that the FCC is in the process of “correcting” the deadline date to Sept. 3, 2016, which is soon to be published in the Federal Register. While this delay would provide a little breathing room, we encourage affected members to keep the June 1 date in mind and explore what options would be available to you should your current SNG vehicle not have the capability to provide the CID. You may want to contact your truck fabricator or talk to some vendors if you will attend the NAB Show in April.
The SBE will update members if and when a new deadline date is announced by the FCC.
