GMRC to assist Stephens Co. with petition for Atlanta stations

Stephens County has partnered with the Georgia Mountain Regional Commission (GMRC) to help with its petition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to move satellite TV customers to metro Atlanta TV stations.

County Administrator Phyllis Ayers said Tuesday the GMRC will assist the county in completing and filing its application with the FCC.

Stephens County staff will continue to contribute by gathering any data GMRC needs, specifically for Stephens County.

Ayers says this has been and will remain a main priority for the county.

FCC rules state that because Stephens, Franklin, Hart and Elbert counties are closer to Greenville, SC than to Atlanta, GA they are in the Greenville broadcast market and can only receive Greenville TV stations.

That also means they are considered “orphan counties” because their citizens with satellite TV service are not receiving Georgia local news, weather, and sports from their home state TV stations.

Ayers said she recently learned that the Greenville TV stations are fighting to keep the Northeast Georgia counties in their viewing market.

In early May, Franklin County submitted its petition filing to the FCC, but Ayers said she was told recently by Franklin County Manager Beth Thomas that they have not heard anything yet from them.

Franklin County is the only county, of the four, to have submitted its petition to the FCC.