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Technology Stocks : LAST MILE TECHNOLOGIES - Let's Discuss Them Here -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MikeM54321 who wrote (7602)	7/13/2000 6:37:53 PM
From: lml	Respond to of 12823

Mike: I presume the issue we are discussing here is the form of the broadcast content as it is transmitted from its source and not necessarily the conversion of analog signals to digital signals over cable, via satellite, etc. You say no one has a clue how to do it, yet there are quite a number of originators of broadcast content that are broadcasting today HD signals. NBC broadcasts Leno in HD; CBS prime time line-up is HD; WB broadcasts many of the shows in HD, at least here in LA. Many of PBS programs are broadcasted in HD format. So the issue is not "how" but "to what extent" broadcasters are willing to invest in digital format and abandon analog. I believe the issue is not the inclination to move to digital, but rather the aversion to abandon analog. Its probably a scary & risky proposition to many station managers. In any case, I must be going. I am far from an authority in this area. I'm am not well-versed in the realm of FCC jurisdiction over what is broadcasted over the air, but I do know that Congress has granted it plenary jurisdiction over broadcast communications in US. Federal policy in this area is explicit . . . digital transmission will be the format that the industry will move to. Now if industry is reluctant to move on its own (usually due to market forces), the FCC, with Congress behind it, and Constitutional authority granted to Congress under the Commerce Clause there are many things the Federal government can do to CAUSE the movement from digital to analog. In this respect, the question is not "if," but rather "how soon." And, please bear in mind, things such as these do not happen over night. We are only into year 2 of a 10-12 year time horizon, and such time horizon, while apparently lengthy to us at this particular time, in the grander scheme of things is but a spec in time. So, specifically, what Kennard do? Well, if can offer incentives ie. tax breaks; he can impose sanctions, but that would be unpopular and tie up the administrative as well as judicial courts. The broadcasters operate under an FCC license, right? Well, what extinguishable rights are there under those licenses? If you WXYX don't wish to broadcast over this frequency in digital format, I got KLMN over here who does. I really dunno on the specifics, but with the power to grant licenses to station operators comes the power to rescind those license. IMHO, there are many things Kennard can do. And it'll be interesting to see what steps might be taking in the next year or two, if things continue to stagnate as they have. Gotta roll. Sorry for any typos, glitches.