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

  • From: "johnwillkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2007 20:34:32 -0700

Here's where you are wrong: the FCC isn't proposing this, only one member
responded when asked by a House panel that summoned them.  The FCC was
against the idea, and that is your "fcc proposing legislation."

Here's a hint: read first, then comment.

More tomfoolery: yeah, dual carriage is a "problem" for cable companies,
because they can only charge once for it.  Kind of funny that the real dual
carriage problem -- broadcasters with dual illumination and no extra revenue
-- hasn't ever seemed a problem to you.

So, lil didn't supercharge satellite because it cut their churn rate by
about 65%, it ONLY doubled their subscribership (during the same time, cable
subscribership dropped.)

Cable didn't notice much defection to satellite before lil.  Afterwards,
they did.  Ask them if "supercharged" is too strong of a word.

Once again, MUST CARRY/RETRANS isn't from the FCC, but from legislation.  It
won't be overturned in your lifetime, unless broadcasters want it
overturned.

John Willkie

-----Mensaje original-----
De: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] En
nombre de Craig Birkmaier
Enviado el: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 7:23 AM
Para: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Asunto: [opendtv] Re: NAB, MSTV applaud FCC must-carry proposal for DTV
transition

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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