[opendtv] Re: FCC response to GAO report on DTV transition
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:38:36 -0500
Bob Miller wrote:
> I wonder if there are 1600 homes watching OTA DTV.
It would be nice to know, now that all TVs are being sold with good
built-in ATSC receivers, how many are making use of them. Too bad we
don't have this piece of info. Of course, I won't make the assumption
that not knowing means no one does, as several on this site love to do.
> Must be frustrating to do all that work with virtually zero
> results.
On the contrary, the FCC got all the results it was responsible for.
Almost all stations are transmitting in digital, and the transition is
almost over.
Who has been falling down on their part of the transition is not the FCC
nor the broadcasters' engineering departments. It's the marketing arm of
the broadcasters that are clearly absent from muster. The FCC is
certainly not responsible for making DTT a successful business
proposition.
Commissioner Adelstein is probably venting the sort of frsutration most
consumers feel, or will feel, when they arrive at 18 Feb 2009 and their
TV mysteriously goes dark. But that aspect of the overall transition, in
the US form of economy, falls on the businesses and not the govt. The
FCC is only meant to be the spectrum administrator. Unfortunately in
this case, some of the FCC rules that Commissioner Adelstein probably
favors are the reason why the broadcasters' marketing departments
continue to keep 18 Feb 2009 such a well-guarded secret.
If anyone at all is finally doing his job now with respect to informing
the public, I would have to say it is Best Buy. They have big banners
announcing this analog shutoff, in the TV section of their stores. Good
for them. They do this because it fosters sales. Broadcasters are
instead conflicted. As even you have said previously.
Bert
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:
- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at
FreeLists.org
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word
unsubscribe in the subject line.
Other related posts:
