[opendtv] FCC on the WECT coverage issue
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:07:29 -0400
Here's some info hot off the press.
A good coverage chart that shows what the WECT problem is:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-285589A4.pdf
And Chairman Martin on this topic (among others):
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-285589A1.pdf
On p. 7:
"Unfortunately, some viewers are experiencing problems that will not be
as easy for us to resolve. For example, there are a number of consumers
in the Wilmington-area that have lost access to the Wilmington NBC
affiliate, WECT. During the first week we received 581 calls from
viewers experiencing problems receiving channels or calls signs. In week
two, 154 such calls were made to the Commission's helpline. (For the two
weeks the total number of calls in this category were 735.) Prior to the
digital switch, the Wilmington NBC affiliate signal was available to
viewers outside the television market as far south as Myrtle Beach, SC
and as far north as Raleigh, NC. See Appendix B. The Wilmington NBC
affiliate's new coverage area, however, no longer includes these out of
market communities. Some of these viewers will be able to watch their
local NBC affiliate in Myrtle Beach and Raleigh. There may be some,
however, that will not have access to any NBC affiliate. See Appendix C.
Reception problems for channel 6 were caused by a significant reduction
in the service contour for WECT channel 6, not the digital cliff effect.
"Our goal is to ensure that all viewers in the Wilmington-area and the
country have access to the same television signals that they did prior
to the transition. The Commission is currently exploring what steps can
be taken to address this problem in Wilmington and minimize the burden
on viewers throughout the country."
So, while their heart is in the right place, I continue to wonder how
WBAL-DT, the worst example, is expected to have anywhere close to the
same coverage when it goes back to VHF Ch 11, when the power drops by 18
dB compared with the current analog signal.
Bert
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