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Politics & Policy

DTV Transition Politics & Policy

HDTV Expert - "Antenna" Digital TV: When All Else Fails...

Terrestrial digital TV proved its resilience during a severe ice storm in southeastern Pennsylvania, where a three-antenna home setup covering roughly 55 channels in the Philadelphia metro market delivered uninterrupted broadcasts while Comcast cable, Verizon mobile data, and VoIP all failed simultaneously. A TiVo HD DVR with a built-in terrestrial DTV tuner remained fully functional, underscoring the practical advantage of maintaining an over-the-air setup alongside subscription services. The experience also frames the ongoing FCC UHF spectrum auction debate, questioning whether reallocating broadcast frequencies to mobile carriers is wise given how reliably the one-to-many broadcast model performs when cellular networks collapse under disaster-driven traffic loads.

Pete Putman •
Columns
Politics & Policy OTA HD & Antennas

HDTV Almanac - More U.S. Households Rely on TV Broadcasts

Over-the-air television reliance in the U.S. has grown to nearly 18% of TV households, with a GfK Media study showing approximately 7 million additional viewers dropping subscription services, bringing the exclusive over-the-air audience to more than 20 million. The shift is attributed to a combination of consumer cost-cutting and migration toward broadband-based streaming alternatives. Any FCC spectrum auction or reassignment must account for this substantial population that depends on free broadcast signals for access to information.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Politics & Policy OTA HD & Antennas Standards

HDTV Almanac - Supreme Court Throws Out FOX and ABC Sanctions

The Supreme Court struck down FCC sanctions against ABC and FOX, including a $1.2 million penalty against ABC for nudity in an 'NYPD Blue' episode, ruling that the agency failed to provide fair warning about its 'fleeting expletive' enforcement rules before the incidents occurred. The narrow ruling leaves First Amendment questions unresolved and may also invalidate the FCC's half-million dollar fine against NBC stemming from the Janet Jackson Super Bowl halftime incident. With a backlog of 1.5 million indecency complaints and ongoing tension between broadcast and subscription-based cable standards, further Supreme Court review appears likely.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Politics & Policy Manufacturing

HDTV Almanac - We Control the Channel! (Well, We're Trying)

Panasonic, Samsung, LG, and Sony have each announced Minimum Sale Price (MSP) policies targeting premium and select mid-tier television models, moving beyond traditional Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) agreements to enforce actual transaction floors. Retailers who violate these pricing floors risk losing wholesale purchasing rights, a significant enforcement mechanism that could tighten margins across the retail channel. Shoppers hunting for discounts on flagship models should verify authorized dealer status carefully, as manufacturer warranties may be voided on units purchased through unauthorized discounters.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Cable HD Politics & Policy

HDTV Almanac - Retransmission Saga Continues

A retransmission dispute between Madison Square Garden channels and Time Warner Cable was resolved after nearly two months, requiring intervention from New York's governor and attorney general. Meanwhile, LIN TV is threatening to pull its Fox, CBS, and CW affiliates from Cox in Rhode Island and Pensacola, leveraging relaxed FCC multi-ownership rules to strengthen its negotiating position after a severe drop in ad revenues. For pay-TV subscribers, escalating retransmission fees represent a real cost pressure that could ultimately trigger regulatory review of FCC ownership and retransmission policies.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Cable HD DTV Transition Politics & Policy

HDTV Almanac - FCC to Revisit "Must Carry" Rules

The FCC is preparing to revisit 'must carry' rules as a three-year waiver, which permitted cable operators to downscale high-definition digital broadcast signals for analog distribution networks, approaches its June expiration. If the waiver is not renewed, cable companies may face pressure to accelerate costly infrastructure upgrades to all-digital systems, requiring converter boxes for subscribers without digital tuners. For consumers, the outcome could reshape which local broadcast channels remain accessible and whether smaller-audience stations survive on pay-TV platforms.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Politics & Policy OTA HD & Antennas Satellite HD

HDTV Almanac - Cable and Satellite Complaints Rise

FCC complaint data for Q3 2011 shows cable and satellite service complaints rose more than 15% quarter-over-quarter, with Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act complaints surging nearly 44%, signaling growing friction over retransmission rights. Broadcasters are withholding local content from subscription TV providers to extract higher licensing fees, a tactic that can leave subscribers without channels for weeks or months. The dispute drew political attention when DirecTV customers in Boston faced a potential SuperBowl blackout, and the issue is expected to remain contentious through 2012.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Cable HD DTV Transition Politics & Policy

HDTV Expert - Goodbye, Free Cable TV

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association has petitioned the FCC to permit fully digital cable systems to apply conditional access encryption to every channel tier, including local broadcast channels currently receivable in the clear on QAM-tuner-equipped televisions. The FCC tentatively concluded this change would not substantially affect cable-to-consumer-electronics compatibility, while acknowledging that basic-only subscribers and households running second or third sets without set-top boxes would require new equipment such as a digital terminal adapter (DTA). For viewers considering cord-cutting, this shift removes one of the last remaining incentives to maintain a basic cable subscription over free over-the-air reception.

Pete Putman •
Columns
Politics & Policy OTA HD & Antennas

HDTV Expert - Put Up, Or Shut Up

The CEA's push to reallocate TV broadcast spectrum for mobile broadband lacks a verified spectrum audit, with the FCC yet to release a comprehensive public inventory despite congressional requests spanning over a year. Wireless devices driving holiday demand largely operate on 802.11n in the 2.4-2.5 GHz and 5 GHz bands, not the broadcast spectrum under dispute, while Verizon itself acknowledged underutilizing purchased RF spectrum. Redirecting attention to government-held spectrum or the 800 MHz analog cellular band could address mobile capacity without threatening free over-the-air HDTV and the emerging MH mobile digital TV service.

Pete Putman •
Columns
Politics & Policy OTA HD & Antennas

HDTV Expert - A 'Contrived' Broadband Crisis, Indeed

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski's push to reclaim 120 MHz of UHF TV spectrum above channel 31 for wireless broadband is challenged here as a fabricated crisis driven by telecom interests from Verizon and AT&T rather than genuine need. A New York Times report reveals only 68% of Americans use available broadband, with cost and digital literacy cited as barriers, prompting an FCC-Best Buy Geek Squad partnership for computer training in 20 cities. The author argues this government-subsidized arrangement wastes taxpayer money and threatens free over-the-air HDTV access that financially pressed Americans depend on.

Pete Putman •
Columns
Politics & Policy OTA HD & Antennas

HDTV Almanac - Bye-Bye Channel 51?

The FCC has frozen all pending applications for new low-power and full-power television broadcast stations on RF channel 51, the uppermost UHF television channel, while it investigates interference complaints from wireless licensees operating on the adjacent channel 52 block. The freeze follows lobbying by groups including CTIA and the Rural Cellular Association, who argue that channel 51 TV broadcasts disrupt their spectrum allocations - a reversal of the traditional concern over wireless signals interfering with television. Existing broadcasters are not forced to vacate, but financial incentives from wireless carriers may accelerate voluntary channel reassignments.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Politics & Policy OTA HD & Antennas

HDTV Expert - To the Federal Communications Commission: STOP! Enough, already!

The FCC's plan to reclaim 120 MHz (20 UHF channels) of broadcast TV spectrum for wireless broadband would force over 600 TV stations to shut down, retune transmitters, and relaunch with no simulcast transition period. UHF frequencies offer superior building penetration compared to VHF channels 7-13, and a quarter-wave antenna at 600 MHz requires only 5 inches, making the band well-suited for portable HDTV reception. For the more than 15% of Americans who rely exclusively on free over-the-air digital TV, this reallocation threatens one of the last no-cost media services available.

Pete Putman •
Columns
Politics & Policy OTA HD & Antennas

HDTV Almanac - Pressure for Retrans Reform Builds

The FCC approved the sale of Topeka's ABC affiliate to Parkin Broadcasting, a company that already holds shared service agreements with New Vision Television - owner of the market's NBC and Fox affiliates - in Youngstown and Savannah. This arrangement effectively gives two companies control over three major networks in a single market, concentrating retransmission consent leverage against five local cable operators. Topeka subscribers now face the real risk of losing all three networks simultaneously during any carriage dispute, intensifying calls for regulatory reform of retransmission rules.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Mobile HD Politics & Policy

HDTV Almanac - Dyle-ing Mobile TV with a New Brand

The Mobile Content Venture (MVC) has launched the 'Dyle' brand to identify devices supporting Mobile DTV, a broadcast television standard designed for smartphones and tablets. The initiative, backed by the overlapping Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), involves stations nationwide beginning to transmit mobile television signals over their assigned radio spectrum allocations. Consumer adoption remains uncertain, and the FCC is weighing whether portions of this broadcast spectrum could be reallocated to wireless broadband services, potentially generating billions in spectrum auction revenue.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Politics & Policy Streaming HD

HDTV Almanac - Closed-Captions Coming to the Internet

The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 directed the FCC to establish closed captioning rules for Internet video, with a six-month window following the VPAAC committee report to finalize those regulations. Implementation will initially cover broadcast television content already captioned, and new hardware with user-accessible caption controls will be required before the standard becomes widespread across televisions and streaming devices. Viewers with hearing disabilities face at least another year before accessible online video becomes a practical reality.

Alfred Poor •
Columns