[opendtv] Re: Doug Lung on FCC's OTA TV ideas
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 20 Nov 2010 10:32:05 -0500
Doug Lung writes:
The Chairman fails to acknowledge that the amount of spectrum
devoted to broadcast TV is significantly less than it was in the
mid-20th century. In addition to the current VHF spectrum, TV
broadcasting at one time had UHF spectrum extending from 470 MHz to
890 MHz-a total of 486 MHz of spectrum, including the VHF channels.
Then channels 70 to 83 were stripped for cellular telephones in
1983, and last year channels 52-69 were taken away and allocated to
public safety or auctioned to wireless services, including services
like FLO TV that offered subscription mobile TV services.
Also, while some paint broadcast TV as a dinosaur ready for
extinction, they don't recognize that broadcasters have just
completed a complex transition to digital TV and now offer better
picture quality and more variety, including a large number of
specialty and ethnic channels.
So at one time broadcasters had control of 486 MHz of spectrum which
typically allowed the delivery of about 10 NTSC quality channels per
market (a few more in major markets).
Today broadcasters still control about 270 MHz of spectrum, or
roughly 55% of what they once were allocated. With this spectrum they
are delivering nearly the same number of PRIMARY program channels,
but in HD rather than low quality SD, and they still have room for
many more programs of at least NTSC quality.
The AOL TV program guide for Los Angeles broadcasters list 77 channels.
http://tvlistings.aol.com/listings/ca/los-angeles/broadcast?zipcode=90001
So it seems that thanks to technology, broadcasters today are doing
FAR MORE with less spectrum.
Perhaps Mr. Lung should consider that changes in technology and the
resulting demands for spectrum apply to broadcasters as well.
Regards
Craig
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