The FCC proposal to let stations continue to broadcast analog educational programs about DTV, plus emergency information, for 30 days after the transition (CED Dec 24 p1) drew widespread support. All 16 comments on the agency’s notice supported it or said filers were seeking or likely to seek to run such operations after Feb. 17.
The FCC proposal to let stations continue to broadcast analog educational programs about DTV, plus emergency information, for 30 days after the transition (CD Dec 24 p1) drew widespread support. All 16 comments on the agency’s notice supported it or said filers were seeking or likely to seek to run such operations after Feb. 17. (See separate report in this issue.) The NAB and others sought an FCC order to let participants get sponsorship for the programming. Public broadcasters asked for money to support the operations, while state broadcast groups noted that their national organization wants commission funds for phone banks.
AT&T’s U-Verse PEG product is being investigated by the Illinois Attorney General’s office to determine whether its treatment of public, educational and government access channels complies with state law, a consumer advocacy group said. A Dec. 22 statement by Chicago Access Network Television attributed word of AG Lisa Madigan’s investigation to the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, a Chicago-area advocacy group. The 2007 Illinois Cable and Video Competition Law requires that PEG channels be delivered at signal quality and functionality equivalent to that for commercial channels. AT&T, the first video provider to get an Illinois state franchise, claims its U-Verse system can’t do that, CANTV said. A study by the Illinois unit of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, representing local government officials, said technology is available to allow delivery of PEG channels on U-Verse without the AT&T system’s deficiencies, CANTV said. U-Verse pulls local PEG channels from the standard cable lineup, grouping them under Channel 99, “stripping away individual channel identities and depriving those channels of basic functions viewers have come to expect,” CANTV said. “AT&T subscribers can no longer tune to the familiar cable channel for the village board meeting or homework help program,” the group said. “Viewers can’t switch between commercial and PEG channels, set a DVR to record a PEG program, receive closed captioning, or depend on getting timely local emergency alerts.” AT&T and the AG’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Emerging Markets Communications said it will use capacity on Yahsat and Arabsat satellites under new capacity contracts worth $200 million. The company said it also leases capacity from Intelsat, Telesat and Gascom. Separately, EMC said it has completed the migration of 150 very small aperture terminals for the United Nations. The EMC satellite network connects 500 UN remote locations with headquarters in New York and Europe.
ABC News released a free iPhone application offering local news determined by the device’s location-based technology. The application will assemble local news video from ABC-owned stations across the U.S., determining which station is closest to the iPhone user and delivering relevant headline clips alongside national and world news. Users can also watch video content from other affiliate stations taking part. ABC News will also deliver breaking news alerts. Users in New York City and San Francisco can receive emergency alerts.
ABC News released a free iPhone application offering local news determined by the device’s location-based technology. The application will assemble local news video from ABC-owned stations across the U.S., determining which station is closest to the iPhone user and delivering relevant headline clips alongside national and world news. Users can also watch video content from other affiliate stations taking part. ABC News will also deliver breaking news alerts. Users in New York City and San Francisco can receive emergency alerts.
ABC News released a free iPhone application offering local news determined by the device’s location-based technology. The application will assemble local news video from ABC-owned stations across the U.S., determining which station is closest to the iPhone user and delivering relevant headline clips alongside national and world news. Users can also watch video content from other affiliate stations taking part. ABC News will also deliver breaking news alerts. Users in New York City and San Francisco can receive emergency alerts.
During several speeches at the end of 2008, World Customs Organization Secretary General-elect, Kunio Mikuriya, who took office January 1, 2009, outlined his positions on several key customs topics as well as priorities for upcoming WCO action.
The FCC Public Safety Bureau, citing unique circumstances, granted Los Angeles County waivers to operate a 700 MHz, single-platform, UHF voice radio system using TV channel 15. However, the bureau said the county can’t make use of the spectrum before Feb. 18, the day after the DTV transition, and the use must not interfere over-the-air reception of Station KPBS, which broadcasts on TV Channel 15. The county said it needs as much as 24.75 MHz of capacity, given the unusually large size of its operations. In granting the request, the bureau overruled the objections of broadcasters and others who cited interference concerns. Entravision and San Diego State University in particular objected to the waivers, saying they would cause interference to Entravision’s proposed digital LPTV Channel 14 operation, impede SDSU’s transition to a DTV translator on TV Channel 15, and impede efforts for other broadcasters in southern California to transition to DTV. “Specifically, they argue that grant of the request would unduly limit channel availability for digital Class A, LPTV, and TV translator operations, and would exacerbate the problem of scarce spectrum in Southern California,” the bureau said. Entravision also said the county “has not presented the requisite evidence that existing spectrum and spectrum being made available as a result of the digital transition will not meet its needs.” Shure objected, citing wireless microphones which are already using the spectrum, which it said are “essential to the production of content for virtually all media outlets.” But, the FCC noted, a majority of commenters, including the city of Los Angeles and local public safety agencies filed in support. “Several local public safety agencies state that current networks lack the capacity to integrate all of the diverse agencies in the County on a single radio platform, but using the additional spectrum at TV Channel 15 will allow for the rapid implementation and deployment of a county-wide interoperable radio network,” the bureau said. The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council also supported the waivers. “Los Angeles and other applicants must be able to continue to pursue channels in the non-public safety bands prior to and subsequent to the analog broadcast transition in February 2009,” NPSTC said. It argued that the “proper balance of the public interest must weigh on the side of improving emergency service communication over fulfilling the objectives of Class A and LPTV broadcasters.” “We find that the quantity of 700 MHz spectrum is not enough to satisfy the requested need in this case, and that the requested need is reasonable because at the time the County planned its radio system the 700 MHz spectrum was not available,” the bureau said. It also found the county’s plans are “technically feasible without causing harmful interference to other spectrum users entitled to protection from such interference under the Commission’s regulations.”
A disc that combines HD and SD content on a single side will arrive soon, possibly fulfilling retailers’ and studios’ desires for a solution to dual inventories. The technology, shown in prototype since 2005 (CED Jan 11/05 p4), will become real in February in Japan. But cost remains a drawback.