SCBC discuss FCC’s ruling to lift Orphan County status

County Administrator Phyllis Ayers announced during the recent Stephens County Board of Commissioners meeting that county residents who have satellite TV is a step closer to receiving TV from the Atlanta stations.

During the end of the meeting last week, Ayers says the FCC ruled in favor of Stephens County’s market modification request.

As WNEG News reported last week, the FCC granted Stephens, Franklin, and Hart Counties permission to receive Atlanta TV channels to replace Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville stations on Dish and AT&T Direct TV.

In November, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners signed a joint letter to the FCC asking them to make a quick ruling on the Greenville/Asheville appeal, which was submitted to the Commission in 2018.

Franklin County Manager Beth Thomas has been spearheading the effort on behalf of the counties for the past several years.

Thomas told the Board of Commissioners at their work session in November that the counties had been approved to be moved to the metro Atlanta TV market, but the FCC’S delay in making a ruling on the Carolina TV market appeal is holding that market modification up.

Last week, the Commission ruled in a Memorandum Opinion and Order that the South Carolina applicants “have failed to demonstrate that they are aggrieved by the Bureau order” holding up the decision to give Stephens, Franklin, and Hart County service subscribers Atlanta based TV Stations.

WNEG News will continue to follow this story and bring you additional details as they become available.