NEWSReport No. IN 97-11         
                                                             April 21, 1997



        UNDERSTANDING REACHED WITH MEXICO ON THE INTRODUCTION OF
            DIGITAL TELEVISION SERVICE WITHIN THE BORDER AREA 
                                    
  FCC Chairman Reed E. Hundt and Mexico Undersecretary of Communications and
Technological Development Javier Lozano Alarcon of the Secretariat of Communications and
Transportation (SCT) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will facilitate
the introduction of digital television service (DTV) along the USA/Mexico border.  This
MOU, titled Memorandum of Understanding Between the Federal Communications
Commission of the United States of America and the Secretaria de Comunicaciones y
Transportes of the United Mexican States Related to the Use of the 54-72 MHZ, 76-88 MHZ,
174-216 MHZ and 470-806 MHZ Bands for the Digital Television Broadcasting Service
Along the Common Border, establishes interim principles to be applied in the allocation of
frequencies for use by DTV operations.  

  Chairman Hundt said, "Because working together cooperatively has become standard
practice in our bilateral efforts with Mexico, the understanding was reached in a very brief
time.   We are now focusing on arriving at a similar agreement on DTV with our friends in
Canada in the near future."

  Recognizing that television broadcasting services utilizing digital techniques have the
potential to deliver increased quality and diversity of service as well as provide for more
efficient use of the TV spectrum, the FCC and SCT agreed to:

  1.  Promote the introduction of DTV in their respective countries.
     
  2.  Work jointly to assign a second channel to existing TV allotments, with a bandwidth of
      6 MHz for the transmission of digital television signals.

  3.  Establish a coordination distance of 275 km for DTV allotments and assignments.  The
      FCC will issue licenses to DTV stations within this coordination area, but these licenses
      will be conditioned on the outcome of further consultations between the FCC and SCT.


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  4.  Create TV allotments either for analog (NTSC) or digital (DTV) use.  When the
      allotment is strictly for analog (NTSC) use, compliance with the technical criteria and
      the appropriate spacings specified in the existing agreements is required.  When digital
      (DTV) allotments are involved, new distance separation requirements included in the
      MOU will be observed. 

  5.  Work together to develop, within 4 to 6 months, a table of second channels for DTV
      using equitable and reciprocal criteria for both countries, with a view to signing a new
      television broadcast agreement which covers the full range of TV systems in the
      shortest possible time.

  The full text of the Memorandum of Understanding has been placed on file at the
International Bureau Reference Room located on the first floor of 2000 M St. N.W.  Copies
are available from International Transcription Service at (202) 857-3800 and can be
downloaded from the FCC's International Bureau internet site at http://www.fcc.gov/ib.  

- FCC -


  News Media contact:  Meribeth McCarrick at (202) 418-0256.
  International Bureau contact: Henry Straube at (202) 418-2150.
  Office of Engineering and Technology contact: Bruce Franca at (202) 418-2470.