[opendtv] FCC Report on Over-the-Air-Viewers
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 2 Mar 2005 13:41:34 -0500
March 1, 2005
For Immediate Release
News Media Contact: Rebecca Fisher (202) 418-2359
FCC Media Bureau Issues Report to Congress on Over-the-Air Viewers
Washington, DC - As Congress considers a date certain to end the
transition to digital television, the Federal Communications
Commission's Media Bureau issued a report yesterday detailing the
Bureau's analysis of comments on the current status of over-the-air
(OTA) broadcast television viewers in the United States, and a range
of potential options for assisting those OTA viewers when analog
broadcast service is terminated.
Congress has already declared its support for ending the transition
to digital through their vote on a Sense of the Senate in the 108th
Congress. The report seeks to further this debate by summarizing data
received in response to a Public Notice issued by the Media Bureau in
May 2004, and providing independent analysis.
The report provides analysis on several aspects of the transition to
digital broadcasting including:
- The timing and nature of a switchover (e.g., the possible
consequences of a simultaneous end to analog broadcasting versus a
'fade to black' option, which would phase out analog broadcasting in
a particular market over time),
- Cost of digital-to-analog converter boxes for OTA viewers and the
probability of a significant drop in expense for this equipment as
the transition progresses,
- Reasons why OTA viewers do not subscribe to a multi-channel video
provider (MVPD). One survey found that the percentage of U.S.
households that do not subscribe to a MVPD due to a "lack of funds"
is 30% of OTA viewers or only 4.5% of total television households.
While the report contains no specific recommendations, it describes
in detail the consequences of various approaches to ending the
transition and the potential trade-offs involved for consumers and
industry alike. The report is available at www.fcc.gov/mb.
Here is a link to an acrobat version of the report:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-257073A1.pdf
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:
- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at
FreeLists.org
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word
unsubscribe in the subject line.
Other related posts:
- » [opendtv] FCC Report on Over-the-Air-Viewers
