[opendtv] TV's Spectrum Showdown

NOVEMBER 23, 2004

SPECIAL REPORT: TV, TODAY AND TOMORROW

TV's Spectrum Showdown

In a deal originally made in 1996, broadcasters may soon be forced to 
return airwaves now used to transmit analog signals

For nearly a decade, the nation's 1,700 TV stations have been 
promising to broadcast crystal-clear digital signals to viewers 
across the country. But somehow, rushing toward that end never seemed 
to be entirely in their best interest.

Those promises go back to a deal broadcasters made with the federal 
government under the 1996 Telecommunications Act and a follow-up 
congressional bill a year later. Broadcasters received free 
electronic airwaves -- which are technically owned by the public and 
controlled by the federal government -- for digital transmissions. In 
return, they had to give back the airwaves they now use for their old 
analog broadcasts, which had been doled out over several decades. But 
they didn't have to return it until 85% of U.S. households receive 
digital signals or the year 2006, whichever came later.

Now patience is running out for the broadcasters to turn in that 
valuable piece of the sky. The year 2006 is just around the corner, 
and carriers are now sending digital signals that reach 85% of 
households in just about all of the nation's 210 TV markets (even 
though not all those households have digital-ready TVs).

...

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2004/tc20041123_3981_tc184.htm



 
 
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