The link to FCC Public Notice on the 2000 filing window applications still pending.
The applications listed are required to file an amendment to go digital by May 24, 2010.
Click on the link. FCC Public Notice 3-25-2010
If you have problems please email.
It appears from our sources that the LP TV stations are pretty much going to be forced out into the cold by the proposed broadband plan.
March 31, 2010 By Kelly Riddell
March 31 (Bloomberg) — TV broadcasters are getting ready for a fight over a U.S. government attempt to redistribute airwaves and help wireless carriers cope with a surge in traffic from bandwidth-guzzling devices like the iPhone.
Will raise concerns over potential harm to a diversity of voices
By John Eggerton — Broadcasting & Cable, 3/23/2010 2:20:54 PM
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps advises Congress that the FCC should exercise "great caution" in reclaiming spectrum from broadcasters because of the potential harm to a diversity of voices, one of his signature concerns.
During opening remarks at the House Communications Subcommittee hearing on the FCC’s National Broadband Plan, two key members expressed concerns about talk of repurposing television spectrum for other wireless services. And the Subcommittee’s chairman said that a voluntary program was the right approach.
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn wants to apply the brakes before taking broadcast television spectrum and handing it over to broadband interests. She had a number of reasons for the application of caution and rigorous review, including the pursuit of communications ownership diversity and the public interest.
Clyburn is concerned that broadcast is the only medium “through which our nation’s public interest goals are effectuated.” Further, she expressed fears that the most likely current licensees to agree to give up spectrum would be small minority and/or female-owned operations, doing further damage to the diversity level of the broadcast medium. She is also concerned that the television’s commitment to journalism will not translate over to internet applications.
The Broadband Plan proposed by FCC staff is certainly going to be a debate going on for at least the next year. One of the primary issues will be the proposed “repacking” of the UHF band to free up the 120 mHz (20 channels). With only 30 UHF channels today, this would dramatically shrink the band. (channels 52-69 were relinquished with the DTV transition, and 14-19 were surrendered in some markets).
How will LPTV stations fit into this puzzle? Many are still analog. LPTV stations are licensed as supplemental facilities, meaning that they are subject to displacement by full-power stations. During the DTV transition, the commission created a special category, Class A status, to preserve and relocate low-power stations subject to eviction from their channels by changes at full-power stations.
This repacking, as proposed as by the FCC staffers, will lead to a future issue: What happens to the LP’s? An interesting twist on this is the vast majority of LP stations now and for the foreseeable future (from a business model), even if they slowly transition to digital, only have a single program channel — and likely will need only one for the foreseeable future. Many of these stations are local talent or are picking up foreign language material—almost all of which are available in the standard definition technical format (no need for HD).
As these stations migrate, does it become worthwhile for a full-power licensee to start granting or leasing an entire subchannel to them? It would also allow them to clear up any lingering claims they might have to the spectrum for proposed broadband purchasers.
Right now, the full-power broadcaster has exclusive rights to that 6-mHz channel spectrum. There is no requirement to lease it out to in-market LPTVs. There might be some real money for broadcasters. LPTVs might have some cash ("go-away", liquidated, damages money) to be paid to give up the spectrum that broadband companies want now. They would still keep their programming on one of a full-power local station’s multicast channels.
It may be also possible to shoe-horn in or consolidate the existing full-power over-the air broadcasters into a reduced footprint and free-up 20 channels. It’s theoreticlaly possible because during the DTV transition period, for example, every station was in effect broadcasting on two channels.
Anyway, food for thought as this all unfolds…
Open Mobile Video Coalition is wasting no time making the case that mobile television is one of the most efficient digital users of spectrum around and that it will be a cornerstone application in wireless media going forward. The organization, chaired by ION Media Network’s Brandon Burgess, is over 900 television stations strong.
“The key strength of any local TV broadcaster is that station’s ability to respond quickly to live events and to reach millions of viewers with a single digital broadcast transmission — a system designed to enable fast, easy, and robust reception in viewer’s homes. Now that digital TV broadcasting is going mobile, we strongly believe that Mobile DTV is a key ingredient in the nation’s drive to deliver timely news, information, and entertainment to our country’s citizens. And it’s even faster, more reliable, and more scalable than information routed through the Internet,” said Burgess.
OMVC is touting the fact that the National Broadband Plan notes its potential. The NBP states that “…emerging broadcast applications, such as mobile DTV and data casting, may provide an opportunity to take advantage of the relative efficiencies of point-to-multipoint and point-to-point architectures in order to deliver various types of content in the most spectrum-efficient ways.”
A new white paper on mobile television from IDC underscores its potential. “Mobile DTV is a cultural and technical extension of digital over-the-air broadcasting and is a spectrum-efficient technology to deliver hugely popular content,” said IDC’s Danielle Levitas. “But more than this, Mobile DTV allows consumers to also receive local channels, programming, and advertising, as well as relevant local and national news, emergency information, weather, and other alerts. Like over-the-air broadcasting, Mobile DTV easily makes possible a one to many broadcast that instantaneously can reach millions of viewers.”
45 television stations are already transmitting a mobile signal, and that number is expected to grow to 150 during the course of 2010.
Discussing mobile TV’s future, Levitas said, “We see Mobile DTV starting as a free service, delivering broadcast channels to viewers on the go. But the upside potential is even more interesting, because the technology can support subscription services to premium channels, a la carte access to other media, cached recording, localized and targeted advertising, and more – especially when Mobile DTV is paired with great mobile devices like netbooks and in-car entertainment systems.”
RBR-TVBR observation: Think back to the last emergency situation in an area you may happen to have been in. You may have tried to make a cell phone call – and failed. Emergencies tend to jam the networks. That’s one huge reason why the point-to-multipoint transmission offered by broadcasters should be protected, not diluted by the National Broadband Plan.
Mobile digital television, an application that is just starting to be exploited, offers immense potential and is a highly efficient user of spectrum, according to the Open Mobile Video Coalition. It should not be cast aside by a spectrum-hungry FCC.
OMVC state, “Digital TV transmission provides new and exciting opportunities for broadcasters to expand the services they provide to the viewing public — including Mobile DTV, which will allow viewers to watch live, local television on their cell phones, netbooks and other web-enabled and portable devices.
“The emerging Mobile DTV platform is the natural evolution of television and is an indispensible part of the nation’s broadband solution. Mobile DTV is unparalleled in its ability to reach millions of viewers at once – something no other broadband platform can do. Mobile DTV’s unique ability to reach millions of consumers simultaneously and continuously makes it the most efficient use of the spectrum to deliver relevant and important location information, news, emergency alerts, and popular sports and entertainment programming to mobile viewers.
“The proliferation of technology is driving consumer demand for more mobile solutions and our ability to use the public airwaves to extend the capabilities of digital over-the-air broadcasting will allow us to better meet our viewers’ evolving needs. At the same time, as consumers rely on national and local broadcasters for the majority of their entertainment and news programming, it is even more important for the television industry to be able to expand its reach beyond the home set and onto viewers’ portable devices.
“In the public policy debate over spectrum allocation, we urge Congress and the FCC to carefully consider the essential role Mobile DTV can play as a resource for emergency alerts, as a source for vital public information, and as an ingredient in the country’s broadband future.”
RBR-TVBR observation: Broadcasters went to enormous trouble and expense to pull off the digital transition, and despite predictions of doom and gloom from some quarters, pulled off the most expansive change in US communications history in exemplary fashion, and with very little investment of taxpayer funds. It is time to give those same broadcasters at least half a chance to develop these new digital capabilities. The beneficiaries will be the same US citizens that the FCC is supposedly trying to serve.
Parks Associates expect that an advertising turnaround for traditional broadcast television will take place this year – and that its long-term future looks good as well, as it begins to adopt digital technology to add targeted interactive options to clients.
Parks says 2010 income will return to pre-recession levels, but notes that the real key to future success will involve the incorporation of digital capabilities, which will allow broadcaster to charge a premium for air time.
A majority of advertisers would pay extra for addressable spots, with 40% willing to pay upwards of 20% extra for the enhancement.
"As digital media consumption increases, advertisers are incorporating emerging advertising platforms into their overall media mix, with particular emphasis on interactivity and personalization to capture consumer attention," said Parks analyst Heather Way. "This new focus in advertising opens new revenue opportunities for content and service providers, who can build partnerships with agency decision makers to create truly innovative advertising delivery solutions."
You don’t rock all the time. No one does. No one is a rock star, superstar, world-changing artist all the time. In fact, it’s a self-defeating goal. You can’t do it.
No, but you might rock five minutes a day.
Five minutes to write a blog post that changes everything, or five minutes to deliver an act of generosity that changes someone. Five minutes to invent a great new feature, or five minutes to teach a groundbreaking skill in a way that no one ever thought of before. Five minutes to tell the truth (or hear the truth).
Five minutes a day you might do exceptional work, remarkable work, work that matters. Five minutes a day you might defeat the lizard brain long enough to stand up and make a difference.
And five minutes of rocking would be enough, because it would be five minutes more than just about anyone else.
Seth Godin
The FCC is set to deliver its National Broadband Plan to Congress, and one of the goals is to find 500 MHz of spectrum within 10 years, and 300 MHz within five. The FCC is planning to try to get 120 MHz of that from broadcast television. The NAB is OK with that part of the plan as long as it remains voluntary. It worries, however, that the current voluntary status may not hold.
Hollywood inside by Lynette Rice
Howard Stern and politicians like Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) have jumped into the feud between Cablevision and ABC, which is threatening to pull its signal from the cable giant this weekend unless it starts paying fees for carrying WABC-TV in New York — the nation’s top TV market. On Wednesday, Stern used his Sirius radio show to complain about the now-public fight, taking aim at Cablevision’s newspaper ads that urge subscribers to voice their displeasure. “There is no f—ing way Cablevision will survive if they don’t have ABC TV on it,” said Stern, who acknowledged being a Cablevision subscriber. “Cablevision is a license to print money. I would rather own Cablevision than any other business on the planet. You don’t have to do jack s—. You don’t have to generate any programming. All you do is own the pipe to my house and you get paid.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Kerry reportedly sent a letter to the FCC saying that networks shouldn’t be allowed to yank their signals unless the cable company is “negotiating in bad faith.” Kerry, chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, wants the regulatory commission to revisit retransmission consent rules. Congressman Joe Barton (R-Texas), however, fired off his own letter to the FCC, saying “actual discussion of the deal is best left between the respective companies and their viewers, free from government interference or cajoling. The alternative is to ask the government to weigh the relative value of carriage and of particular programming. This is a risky proposition.”
Some 3 million New York-area Cablevision customers in Long Island, Westchester, Brooklyn, and parts of Connecticut and New Jersey could miss this weekend’s Oscar telecast if the cable company doesn’t reach a re-transmission agreement with ABC, which wants $40 million a year to carry WABC-TV — or $1 per subscriber. Charles Schueler, Cablevision’s executive vice president of communications, responded with the following statement: “We pay more than $200 million a year to ABC Disney for their programming and now they say they will pull the plug unless Cablevision pays $40 million more in new fees for the exact same channels. It is not fair to force Cablevision customers to pay a new TV tax for programming ABC Disney gives away free, both over-the-air and on the Internet. In tough economic times, it is shameful that ABC Disney would hold viewers hostage by threatening to pull the plug, and we urge them to work with us to reach a fair agreement.”
Affected subscribers who don’t want to miss the Oscars will have options, including receiving WABC-TV the old-fashioned way: free, over-the-air.
FCC Reboot YouTube Videos
National Association of Community Broadcasters
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