[opendtv] Re: FCC Urges Analog Bypass for STBs
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 09:36:37 -0500
At 4:52 PM -0500 1/11/08, John Shutt wrote:
"but one other NTIA-certified set-top box manufacturer I spoke with
was surprised to hear that there would be analog TV stations on the
air after Feb. 17, 2009."
Wow.
Wait...
It gets even better!
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6515730.html
You may have never heard of Meredith Atwell Baker, former deputy
assistant secretary at the National Telecommunications & Information
Administration, but she is in the digital hot seat. As acting
assistant secretary for communications and information, it's her
responsibility to administer the distribution of millions of $40
coupons the government will issue to consumers to be used toward the
purchase of digital-TV-to-analog converter boxes.
She stepped into the breach just after Thanksgiving, following the
abrupt departure of John Kneuer.
Q: What do viewers need to know about this transition?
A: They need to know that between Jan. 1 and March 31, households can
apply for two $40 coupons online, that they can apply by phone at
1-888-DTV-2009 and that they can apply by mail. The word to get out
now is that there is a big change in television coming Feb. 18, 2009,
and people who have old televisions who receive free over-the-air
broadcasting -- which means they are not hooked up to cable or
satellite or another pay TV service -- have to make a decision. They
have three choices. They can buy a new TV that's digital, they can
subscribe to cable or satellite or another service, or they can buy a
converter box. Otherwise, their television won't work.
Yesterday I talked with Greg Herman, a former president of the
Community Broadcaster's Association (CBA) and owner of several Class
A stations in Oregon. At times Greg has been a lurker on this list.
As some of you may be aware, the CBA is threatening litigation
because of the potential harm to the low power industry because of
the governments flawed DTV transition campaign and the oversight to
add analog tuners or at least a pass-thru capability to the
subsidized DTV converter boxes.
Greg noted that during a conversation with the NTIA's Baker in
December, she was not even aware that thousands of low power stations
and translators would continue to broadcast in analog after February
17, 2009. This, despite the fact that the NTIA subsidizes the
operation of the translators. And in the B&C interview she said that
televisions won't work without a converter box that most likely will
block the ability to continue watching those low power stations and
translators.
Needless to say, Greg is also upset with the spots that the full
power stations are running that say that ALL televisions broadcasts
must be digital by February 17, 2009.
The spots must be working, because DTV was a hot topic on a local i
talk show yesterday afternoon. One guy said he had just purchased a
handheld TV to receive emergency broadcasts if the power went out and
he was incensed to learn that it would not work next year. He then
went on to mention that virtually all of his conventional TV viewing
is via his computer...
Another lady was incensed that she would have to start paying for
Digital TV - that the government was taking away her free TV.
And another lady was trying to be helpful, telling the audience that
the government was going to pay for "digital rabbit ears" for
existing TVs...
So I had to put my two cents in and help educate our local radio audience...
The CBA has a strong case that they are being harmed by the actions
of the NTIA and FCC. It remains to be seen whether these agencies
will address these oversights in both the promos and the designs of
the DTV converter boxes.
Regards
Craig
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