Plains Television Corporation v. Federal Communications Commission and United States of America, Soillcom, Inc., Intervenor

Petitioner, a licensee of UHF television stations in Springfield and Champaign, Illinois, challenges an order issued in rule making by the Federal Communications Commission which assigned a VHF television channel to Mt. Vernon, Illinois. There is, of course, no question of signal impairment but only of potentially adverse economic impact. No procedural shortcomings in the Commission’s proceedings are asserted, and the central claim is that the Commission’s action is inconsistent with its announced policy not to discourage UHF development by the intrusion of VHF. In this regard petitioner…