[opendtv] Re: NAB, MSTV applaud FCC must-carry proposal for DTV transition

  • From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 10:22:52 -0400

At 3:06 PM -0700 7/31/07, johnwillkie wrote:

So, it "looks like" the FCC is proposing something that has been required by
law since 1992?  (Note the passive voice hiding a misreading.)  I think the
FCC is better off following the Communications Act rather than proposing
rules in violation of it.


What the FCC is proposing has NEVER been required by legislation OR regulation.
dual carriage or forcing the cable companies to provide set-top boxes is an added burden, especially when most stations are demanding subscriber fees as well. 


The way that "a consumer" can opt out of paying for broadcast signals on
cable is to opt for satellite, where the broadcast channels are optional.
Kinda funny that more than 96% of dbs customers opt for local into local,
and should I point out that local into local SUPERCHARGED DBS subscriptions?
I don't think supercharged is an accurate term to describe what happened. Fully half of the DBS subscriber base was in place prior to the availability of LOL. This was expected, as the initial low hanging fruit was all of the folks in rural America that did not have access to cable. LOL made it possible to expand the market to existing cable subscribers. This is a logical approach for the DBS companies - most of the recently launched birds are needed just to provide support for digital/HD signals for broadcasters, and the DBS companies are transitioning to MPEG-4 as well.
MOST DBS subscribers were happy with and would like to return to the days when they got the East and West Coast network feeds, but the broadcast industry turned to the politicians once again to protect their territorial rights. 



I concede this situation creates an unfair playing field vis a vis cable and
DBS.  The solution is to make both ala-carte.
Agreed - let the consumer choose the channels they want to pay for. Don't make them pay subscriber fees for the channels they do not watch. Many of those fees would go away if people could choose NOT to pay for a channel. 



What's funny is how that will kill the cable model.  So, cable firms, please
push for not being required to carry ota signals, and the most likely
outcome (See Commissioner J. Adelstein's comments on this topic) will be
cable ala carte.
I suspect the cable industry is welcoming this decision by the FCC. As others have noted, this could provide the case the industry has been looking for to overturn Must Carry and re-trans consent. 

Regards
Craig


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