[opendtv] Re: News: Northwest Station Pulls Signal In Retransmission Battle
- From: "John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2007 17:03:17 -0800
Cable companies haven't "hesitated to encrypt" OTA shows "because of various
statements made by the FCC in the past."
Cable companies don't have the legal ability to encrypt local tv stations by
FCC rule. Even if they did, this would only apply to "must-carry" status.
If they did, they would use it to destroy the audiences of these program
suppliers that they consider to be "competitors."
Cable companies only need to carry one program service of the station, and
the HD is promotable by the cable company and many cablers will charge for
it.
Few to no broadcasters would agree to encryption -- were it legal -- in
retrans negotiations -- they only live on numbers, the larger the better.
Cable companies are known for stripping out PSIP (which they can't do) and
to mungling the metadata, but they do.
I can't speak as to your legality of watching them, but I have wondered the
same thing myself when I tune into HD services on Cox Cable San Diego.
John Willkie
> -----Original Message-----
> From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> On Behalf Of Tom Barry
> Sent: Friday, January 05, 2007 4:17 PM
> To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [opendtv] Re: News: Northwest Station Pulls Signal In
> Retransmission Battle
>
>
>
> Craig Birkmaier wrote:
> > At the moment the impasse between Cox and WESH is about additional
> money
> > for the rights to carry WESH HD, which presumably is not covered under
> > the existing re-trans agreement for WESH analog (Ch2). To be fair to
> > WESH, Cox does charge extra for the HD tier, so WESH is just looking
> for
> > a piece of the action.
>
> Cox may charge extra for an HD STB but they are not charging me extra
> just to be able to receive the HD broadcast stations on my PCHD card.
>
> Cox encrypts most all digital stations and I can't get those. So I
> assume that if my PCHD cards or other peoples digital cable ready TV's
> pick up the HD versions of ABC, CBS, and PBS over Cox we are not
> stealing anything. Cable companies have hesitated to encrypt OTA shows
> because of various statements made by the FCC in the past. But there
> are exceptions and it is really unclear whether cable companies are
> allowed to do so.
>
> I hope my limited basic ability to receive those stations does not
> disappear because of this post. But if it does I'll stop paying even
> the extra $5 / month for the limited basic. It's only the improved CBS
> (and soon Fox) reception that makes me keep that option. ;-)
>
> And BTW, I also do not pay for a Cox cable modem since I own my own
> since the Comcast days. But this only saves me something like $2-3 /
> month. I'm still paying over $50 / month for cable in Gainesville but
> the charge is listed mostly as being for my 7 mbps broadband service.
>
> I don't believe DSL broadband is competitive here in Gainesville unless
> you also already pay for a land line, which I have no use for.
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