[opendtv] Re: Part of the PROBLEM?
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 22:49:03 -0500
At 11:59 AM -0500 1/10/05, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
>On the other hand, the truth is much easier to
>swallow. The FCC, *not* the broadcasters, *SHOULD*
>set a date certain, so that the guys at Circuit City
>can have the necessary low-cost STBs available. Not
>to gouge and misinform consumers, as Powell seems to
>be suggesting, but to support a sensible transition
>such as the one in Berlin.
The FCC DI set a date certain in the orders it issued implementing
the "Sense of Congress," as expressed in the 1996 Telecommunications
Act. Within three months the sensible folks in Congress neutered the
FCC decision, amending the 1997 Balanced Budget Act with the current
85% rule.
This is politics Bert, not a calendar for the CE industry.
Now I will tell you something that will surprise you nearly as much
as it did me. I was told by a reliable source today that if YOU (or
some other single customer) were willing to issue a PO for ONE
MILLION ATSC STBs, you could pick them up at the docks in Long Beach
for $50 each.
This DOES NOT equate to a retail price of $50. Something closer to
$90-$100 would be needed to cover distribution costs and retail sales
margins. But it does suggest that the real number may be somewhere in
the area between our predictions. And IF the single customer were
Congress, there would be no retail markups, just the normal 200%
-300% handling fees for government programs...
;-)
Regards
Craig
P.S. My friend is going to check into the royalty issue as well...
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