Cable Rejects Low-Power TV Must Carry

Lee Stewart · 08-01-2008, 01:21 PM

Cable Rejects Low-Power TV Must Carry

Time Warner, CVS, NCTA Argue Against Mandatory Distribution Of Class-A Stations

Quote:

By Ted Hearn -- Multichannel News, 7/31/2008 8:12:00 PM
Washington -- Cable operators are rejecting a proposal by Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin that would allow hundreds of local TV stations to demand cable carriage for the first time.

Martin has endorsed new rules that would require cable operators to distribute so-called Class A stations, which operate at low power and have very limited mandatory cable access today.

Martin, who has not teed the issue up for a vote, is hoping that cable carriage will increase the value of Class A stations, making it easier for them to raise capital to finance their upgrades to all-digital transmission.

But the cable industry claims the FCC isn't empowered to help Class A stations in the manner Martin wants.

“[Federal law] unambiguously precludes granting full must-carry rights to Class A stations,” Time Warner Cable said in comments filed Wednesday at the FCC.

NCTA and Cablevision Systems Corp. joined Time Warner in arguing that the FCC has no authority from Congress to act on behalf of Class A stations and that placing further demands on cable bandwidth to accommodate TV stations would violate the First Amendment.

“NCTA has long supported efforts to promote diversity in the communications arena. But forcing cable carriage of all Class A low-power television stations is not the way to achieve that goal, and Congress has not given the FCC authority to do so,” NCTA said in its FCC comments.

All 1,756 full-power TV stations, commercial and noncommercial, have a legal right to demand cable carriage under a 1992 law upheld by the Supreme Court and celebrated by the National Association Broadcasters.

The NAB -- which represents hundreds of full-power independent affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox -- filed comments at the FCC, but it was silent on questions related to mandatory carriage of Class A stations.

“NAB did not address the low-power TV issue, because our board has not taken a formal position on it,” said NAB spokesman Kris Jones.

Amy Brown, executive director and secretary of the Community Broadcasters Association, the trade group for low-power TV stations, said she had “no clue” why NAB didn't toss its support behind its low-power brethren.

“Maybe it's competition in the marketplace for ad dollars or dominance. Maybe just plain arrogance,” Brown said.

The country's 556 Class A stations do not have cable carriage rights except in limited circumstances in some of the most rural parts of the country. Low-power TV signals travel about 20 miles compared with full-power signals whose range extends as far as 80 miles.

Although full-power stations need to cut over to all-digital transmission on Feb. 17, 2009, low-power stations are not legally beholden to the same deadline.

In February, NAB created a low-power TV committee after Martin realized that potentially millions of digital-to-analog TV converter boxes being subsidized with federal tax money would not pass-through analog signals, cutting off low-power TV stations from their audience.

To help solve the problem, Martin urged cable operators to carry 2,800 low-power TV stations on a voluntary basis where capacity was availabl

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6583462.html

joekewl1971 · 08-02-2008, 07:44 PM

The little guy always gets screwed. Of course Comcast would deny the tiniest TV stations. Comcast are evil. I love technology, and HD specifically. I am not going to switch providors. When people threaten to switch providors, I say quit talking about it and switch. When people say the compression makes the picture look bad, I say no it is not bad. (I do like compression. I think it is amazing.) This time I am going to be honest. The big corporations own the government in this country. We have the illusion of competition. There is no competition. A few corporations own everything. The airwaves, and cables that go up on public property, are not used in the best interest of ordinary people. Support free expression. Get involved in your community. Pay attention to those few public outlets that are available. Maybe someday things will get better.

Rick-F · 08-05-2008, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joekewl1971

The little guy always gets screwed. Of course Comcast would deny the tiniest TV stations. Comcast are evil. I love technology, and HD specifically. I am not going to switch providors. When people threaten to switch providors, I say quit talking about it and switch. When people say the compression makes the picture look bad, I say no it is not bad. (I do like compression. I think it is amazing.) This time I am going to be honest. The big corporations own the government in this country. We have the illusion of competition. There is no competition. A few corporations own everything. The airwaves, and cables that go up on public property, are not used in the best interest of ordinary people. Support free expression. Get involved in your community. Pay attention to those few public outlets that are available. Maybe someday things will get better.

Perhaps Comcast can just drop your Discovery-HD and carry some Waynes World for you in SD..

Just who are these few corporations that own everything?

Tell that to General Motors.

joekewl1971 · 08-06-2008, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick-F

Perhaps Comcast can just drop your Discovery-HD and carry some Waynes World for you in SD.

Do not knock public access. I work at a community radio station. My favorite show is Democracy Now. Pacifica radio, and Free Speech TV distribute Democracy Now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick-F

Just who are these few corporations that own everything?

Comcast has nearly 30% of the cable markets. Customers do not choose cable companies. There is Dish Network, and DirecTV. Those are the 3 choices for most people.
Everything is in the hands of the corporations.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick-F

Tell that to General Motors.

Do not get me started. This is about HDTV.

08-02-2008, 07:44 PM	#2
joekewl1971 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 595	The little guy always gets screwed. Of course Comcast would deny the tiniest TV stations. Comcast are evil. I love technology, and HD specifically. I am not going to switch providors. When people threaten to switch providors, I say quit talking about it and switch. When people say the compression makes the picture look bad, I say no it is not bad. (I do like compression. I think it is amazing.) This time I am going to be honest. The big corporations own the government in this country. We have the illusion of competition. There is no competition. A few corporations own everything. The airwaves, and cables that go up on public property, are not used in the best interest of ordinary people. Support free expression. Get involved in your community. Pay attention to those few public outlets that are available. Maybe someday things will get better. Last edited by joekewl1971; 08-02-2008 at 07:52 PM.

Similar Threads to Cable Rejects Low-Power TV Must Carry
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
A Discussion On Video Cable Construction	rbinck	Cables & Connections	25	08-18-2009 11:01 AM
RG6 Quad Shield Coax Cable - Why you should use it over RG59!	tipstir	Flat-Panel TVs	1	01-16-2009 07:56 AM
Please explain low power	bryan92	Local HDTV Info and Reception	4	01-27-2005 07:14 AM
DVI to HDMI cable low price	Lenexpo	Promotions, Announcements, Hot Deals	2	12-06-2004 04:18 PM
Cable thru Directv Receiver Problem	rbinck	The High Definition Lounge	0	08-29-2004 05:32 PM