Ferree Plan, amended
A heavy-hitting consortium of broadcasters have submitted to the FCC a plan to expedite the DTV conversion, based on the parameters of the Ferree plan. There is, of course, a powerful underpinning to the plan - - the vast majority of over-the-air broadcasters have already made their capital investment in DTV and are waiting for everyone else to get on board.
Almost every TV household in America is within range of an operating over-the-air DTV station. Broadcasters want to finish the conversion, while making sure that their interests and the interests of their viewers are protected. The letter notes the critical role, particularly in the area of local news, that is filled by local broadcasting. And this is even more critical in times of natural disaster or other emergencies.
To that end, broadcasters simply ask that cable companies be required to carry their full, undegraded digital signal, whether it is being used for HDTV of for multi-stream programming. Further, the FCC must assure that consumers, who may still readily purchase analog television sets, are not investing in them for nothing, and that down-converting is a viable option once analog goes away. The emphasize that the Ferree/Senate plans to subsidize down-converting equipment must be included in the plan. And they ask that opening of so-called "white spaces" to unlicensed devices be delayed until the conversion is complete and unanticipated interference problems are dealt with.
Joining the National Association of Broadcasters and the Association for Maximum Service Television in penning the letter are ABC, Fox, CBS, NBC, Barrington Broadcasting, Belo Corp., Capitol Broadcasting, Citadel Communications, Dispatch Broadcast Group, Emmis Communications, Gannett Broadcasting, Hearst-Argyle Television, Hubbard Television, Liberty, LIN Television, McGraw-Hill Broadcasting, Media General, Morgan Murphy Stations, Raycom Media, Tribune Television and Young Broadcasting.
Are you reading this from a forwarded email?
