Letter to the Editor: FCC Plans
RE:" The whole plan from the time they
started playing with over the air commercial TV (the move to digital
and the move in frequencies) stations is that the FCC wants all the over
the air frequencies returned to them for other uses. "
I have long shared the above view, however, I think the plan originates not with the FCC
but with the local broadcasters who are now receiving millions in
windfalls in the form of carriage fees from cable and satellite
providers. In effect broadcasters, cable & satellite have found a
way to install a toll booth and turn local "free TV" into PAY TV. Let's
face it, over 80% of us are now paying for local "free" TV
If the FCC wants those frequencies back, mandate that local broadcasters
provide FREE-TO-AIR satellite transmission of their signal to all consumers who want to view the signal. The cost of
transponder space could be easily offset by the savings to broadcasters
in the annual cost of electricity for land-based transmitters. Imagine
the broadcasters' windfall from the sale of all that valuable real
estate that the transmitters are built on. Imagine the
long-term conservation of electricity from all those energy hungry
transmitters.
This time around, the FCC should learn from their DTV transition
mistakes and mandate that all TV receiving devices have satellite
receiver chips built-in AT LEAST 10 to 15 years before the closure of
land based transmitters. That way we could avoid the problem of DTV
converters and $40 coupons. The DVB chips are currently relatively cheap
and, with production in the hundreds of millions of TV sets produced in a
decade, would be extremely inexpensive. The goal would be to allow a
consumer to simply hook up the cable from a small 18- inch dish. Maybe
the long awaited Ka-band technology to replace the mini-dish with
something the size of a picture hung on a wall might hasten consumer
acceptance and provide the needed satellite bandwidth.
If it is inevitable, let's do it the smart way.
Bob Stevens
Palm Harbor, FL
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