Stephens County Expects to File FCC Application Within the Month

Meantime, Stephens County Administrator Phyllis Ayers says the final draft of the County’s FCC application to move to the Atlanta TV stations should be going to out soon.

Ayers said Tuesday she has approved the rough draft of the cover letter.

“I just finished reading the rough draft of the cover letter, which is lengthy,” Ayers said Tuesday. “I finished a comprehensive review for the GMRC and I have forwarded it to the Board for their review. I’ve written back to the GMRC that it read beautifully, but he does have some questions that I am answering for him.”

Ayers pointed out however, that there has been no delay in the orphan county FCC application as may have been perceived by the public.

She says the four counties involved had agreed two years ago to submit their applications in a certain order.

“The four counties agreed and I’m telling you this because I’m hearing all kinds of negativity from the community on why we’re so far behind the other counties,” she said. “This was the plan from the beginning when the process started in 2016. We had four county managers that had no expertise in this field. And Beth Thomas in Franklin County led the path. And she asked to take the lead. So when she ran into a bush,we all ran into that bush and she would get that information to clear that bush for all of us. So this part of a master plan.”

Ayers said once she answers the questions from the GMRC representative and the Board of Commissioners approves it, the application and cover letter will be uploaded to the FCC, which she expects to happen within the month.

Franklin County Manager Beth Thomas noted the appeals process will likely not be complete until the FCC renders a decision on both the Stephens and Elbert county applications, which she said, could take years.