GENEVA -- Meteorologists will press the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference for more tools to protect their work from short-range device interference and for greater recognition of their needs in national rules, speakers said on Friday at a seminar on radio spectrum use. Satellite interests will press for greater ITU-R involvement, but some intergovernmental organizations are opposing changes to the Radio Regulations. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the ITU held the seminar.
The FCC seems likely to approve a draft order letting broadcasters spread smaller antennas throughout their coverage areas to improve digital TV reception, commission officials said. The proposal to approve the use of distributed transmission systems for digital broadcasts (CD Oct 16 p4) doesn’t seem contentious among the commissioners, and it may be approved on circulation before the Nov. 4 meeting, they said. Broadcasters support use of the technology, though there are possible technical hurdles to wide use, three industry executives said. No outside objections to the technology appear to have recently been brought to the attention of commissioners, agency officials said.
California should take extraordinary efforts to assure broadband service for all residents, a year-long California Broadband Task Force study concluded. State policies should encourage innovative educational, business and social uses for broadband, it said.
Basic cable networks that stream some content online are missing huge opportunities to push high-quality video to users in multiple ways through broadband connections, Broadband Directions founder Will Richmond said in an online presentation Tues. But he praised the increasing prominence on cable websites of streaming video supported by well-designed ad, subscription and promotional models. The consulting firm recently released a monthlong survey of how the top 75 cable channels use broadband video.