Analysis of Unserved Areas

It was apparent from the signal contour maps that many "white space" areas in the 1989 study had begun to receive service over the past fifteen years, either from new facilities, upgrades or by the addition of stations which were unqualified for the 1989 study.   A few stations in the 1989 study have been removed from the ranks of public broadcasting.  The maps enabled the researchers to specify which counties within a state were still lacking full coverage and to identify the number of persons unserved.  

NTIA/PTFP consulted with many station managers and engineers, state public telecommunications officials, and regional and national organization executives.  These conversations, along with the knowledge of the NTIA/PTFP staff, were used to confirm the information, acknowledge construction or expansion plans, discover the reasons why coverage was lacking, identify factors inhibiting coverage, and gain insight as to how the areas could receive radio service.  We wish to acknowledge the cooperation of the many professional public broadcasters who contributed to the effort and thank them for their assistance.

The analysis was concerned with providing a signal without consideration of which organization should be involved, the level of desire for service by the residents, or issues regarding programming, legal matters or cost.