[opendtv] Re: Questions about DTT Transition and Channels 60-69

No Mark, I cannot, nor would I try, even if you made the year mark 1991.
1992, of course, is another matter.  IIRC, while GI made the filing in 1990,
it was during the Christmas season, and was not publicized until
mid-January.

You said that the transition to digital had nothing to do with public safety
communications.  I see the transition to digital as the end result of a
process that began with Alex Felker's "Proposal for a Decentralized Radio
Service."

The year 1987 is important for a number of reasons.  As Joel Brinkley
(incompletely) pointed out in "Defining Vision" (where he only hints about
the Felker proposal) the year before, "public safety interest" (actually, it
was the NABER the National Association of Business and Educational Radio
combined with the Associaiton of Public Safety Communications Officers
(which I think comes out as APCO) had filed their petition the year before,
and it just laid around at the commission.  By the way, these groups were
almost mere fronts for Motorola on this topic, and the petition was filed by
Moto's long time law firm, Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth.

The joint petitions by the Los Angeles County Sheriff, the Los Angeles
Police Department and others in that metroplex had been pending for some
years, with little or no action.

In other words, these matters were available for someone to tee off with,
were they so inclined.

Then, in early 1987, James C. McKinney became the FCC's first Managing
Director (causing my good friend Bill Tricarico to leave the commission)
after running the bureau that handled public safety and personal
communications.  In his first press conference, which I attended, he lashed
out at the perogrtives of broadcasters.  Broadcasters, perogatives in full
bloom, were aghast: editorials in Broadcasting, the full court press.

NAB decided it was time to defend their unused spectrum, and HDTV was the
ticket.  They were even talking about needing three channels to do HDTV!

James C. McKinney left as OMD sometime after Al Sikes, the broadcaster from
Sikeston, MO, became FCC chair.

NAB started the ball rolling to defend their turf.  The rolling ball led to
DTV.  Ipso facto, the transition to digital started out as being about
public safety communications.  And, with (or without) foresight, they did
this five years before the word digital was entered into the proceeding,
meaning that more than one channel wouldn't be needed for HDTV.  From one
perspective, it was foresight.  From another perspective, it was a lack of
foresight.

The need for public safety and personal communications continues to grow,
while the utility of broadcast channels -- in a heavily cabled
environment -- is subject to challenge.

John Willkie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Schubin" <tvmark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2005 6:23 PM
Subject: [opendtv] Re: Questions about DTT Transition and Channels 60-69


>
>
> John Willkie wrote:
>
> >I can help you out a bit here.  The FCC issued the NPRM in response to a
> >petition filed by the NAB, at the urging of John Abel (remember his name
in
> >this thread).
> >
> >
> I remember your mentioning his name.
>
> I also remember the message that started this thread:
>
> > If channels 60-69 are now reserved for Public Safety communications,
> > it seems to me the DTT transition exacerbated the problem.
>
>
> <snip>
>
> > Or is the real answer that the DTT transition was not about Public
> > Safety communications?
>
>
> So, you have now invoked Abel and ACATS.  I'm always willing to learn.
> Can you point me to some pre-1990 document in which Abel or ACATS
> referred to a transition to digital television ("DTT" means digital
> terrestrial television)?  Can you point me to any pre-1990 document that
> indicates that spectrum was to be freed for public-safety communications
> after the transition was over?  If so, I will greatly appreciate the
> lead.  If not, it would appear that, once again, you are changing the
> thrust of a thread to discuss what you want.
>
> I eagerly await your citations.
>
> FYI, 1990 is when General Instrument submitted an all-digital
> transmission system to the FCC and the transition began to change from
> one about HDTV to one about DTT.
>
> Thanks!
>
> TTFN,
> Mark
>
>
>
>
>
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