Broadcasters Get New Digital TV Channels:
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., Newsbytes: Digital television could be hitting the airwaves by the end of this year, but don't throw out that analog TV set just yet. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has assigned some 1,600 new digital television channels to broadcasters, putting to rest at least some of the issues surrounding the FCC's planned conversion to total digital television broadcasting by 2007.
Calling the digital channel assignments "another milestone on the road to bringing the benefits of digital television (DTV) to the American public," FCC Chairman William Kennard cautioned that, although the Commission has given its final approval on DTV channel assignments, construction deadlines, and other DTV transition rules, "the FCC must continue to move expeditiously on the remaining DTV issues, such as must carry coverage, public service obligations and fees for ancillary services."
Others, however, including some FCC Commissioners and Congress, are concerned the milestone may become a millstone. Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth, while supporting most of the FCC's decisions, raised concerns over the Commission's decision to reduce by 30 megahertz (MHz) the amount of clear spectrum that can be reallocated from broadcasting to other communications services.
The decision, he said, is "a disturbing trend that is emerging in our decision making." Furchtgott-Roth said the FCC's decision to designate channels 2-51 as the DTV core spectrum reduces by 30MHz the amount of clear spectrum that can be reallocated for other radio services and auctioned to new licensees.
"The reasons we give for justifying this spectrum grab can be boiled down to a spectrum management aphorism: 'more is better,'" he said. "How ironic that the Commission currently is engulfed in deliberations considering the final disposition of licenses for the C-Block personal communications system (PCS) spectrum. It strains credulity for us to fight for auction payments to the Treasury for one 30MHz block of UHF spectrum, but cavalierly give away another 30MHz block of UHF spectrum."
Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which oversees the FCC, agreed with Furchtgott-Roth, saying that "broadcasters, by dint of their ceaseless efforts to paint HDTV as free TV's passport to the future, are being given tens of billions of dollars of public property in digital spectrum, insulated by Congress from claims of competing users and exempt from having to pay what the spectrum is worth in the market."
McCain noted that Michael Jordan, chairman of CBS's parent, Westinghouse Corp. said late last year that "this whole digital transition has been left to the engineers until just about six months ago. All of a sudden we got this thing approved, and nobody has a clue what they are going to do."
"To state that broadcasters now haven't a clue what to do with it (HDTV) suggests that consumers may lose twice," McCain said. "Having first lost the auction value of the spectrum, the public now has no real certainty of what they're likely to get in return or when they're likely to get it. And I will not accept that."
Although federal regulations don't require broadcasters to switch to HTDV, McCain said the broadcasters promised to switch to HDTV in return for receiving HDTV spectrum for free. Estimates on the value of that spectrum run as high as $70 billion.
"Broadcasters hide under HDTV when it is politically convenient," Gigi Sohn, executive director of the Media Access Project, said. "But when Congress threatens to hit them over the head with fees or auctions, they come back to it."
And Rep. Bill Tauzin (R-Louisiana) chairman of the House of Representatives telecommunications subcommittee, said that Congress "gave broadcasters six megahertz of spectrum because they need it to transmit an HDTV signal. If broadcasters use that spectrum for any other purposes, there should be some type of quid pro quo."
Under the FCC's proposed transition plan to DTV, affiliate stations of the major networks in the ten largest markets will begin to broadcast digital television by May 1, 1999, and in the top 30 markets by November, 1999. The remaining commercial stations must convert to DTV by May 1, 2002, and non- commercial stations must switch over by May 1, 2003. The broadcasters will then give back to the FCC analog channels 52 to 69 after all television transmissions are digital in 2006. Los Angeles stations KNBC, KTLA, KABC, and KCBS have told the FCC they expect to begin some digital broadcasting by this November. ------------------------------------------------------------------
How many Zenith HDTV sets will be manufactured by November for the trendy La La Landers? Hope those Mexican productions lines are going on a three shift/day basis, come August.... |
