This will be fun to watch! And it could be relevant in the NBC/Comcast deal...
Reminds me of a local phone coop that blocked the installation of a cel system in the city where their main office is. So the cel company set it right outside of city limits, and because of monopoly laws forced the coop to provide the T1's required to make it work (even though they could have nuked in the data from a local terrestrial relay tower). So, all the bandwidth the coop had for their DSL subscribers was zapped forcing them to buy a bigger pipe. And instead of the city gaining the revenue from rental and taxes, a lucky farmer is cleaning up on his 99 year lease! It is this kind of pissing match that amuses me! Jeff On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 8:40 PM, Bob in Jersey <[email protected]>wrote: > > Rupert knows where I am... > > DECEMBER 15, 2009, 2:59 P.M. ET > FCC to Propose Closing Loophole on Sports Programming > By AMY SCHATZ > WASHINGTON – Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius > Genachowski will propose prohibiting cable operators from withholding > broadcasts of local sporting events from satellite TV providers and > other rivals. > > The FCC's Media Bureau plans to circulate an order to the other FCC > commissioners Wednesday, an FCC official said. It would close the so- > called "terrestrial loophole" that has been used by cable companies > including Comcast Corp., Cox Communications Inc. and Cablevision > Systems Corp. to withhold local sports channels from rivals. > > The move would be a significant victory for Dish Network Corp., > DirecTV Group Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc., all of > whom have had difficulties at one point trying to get the channels > from a local cable provider. > > Cable operators are generally required by the FCC to offer access to > program content they partially or wholly own to rivals at reasonable > rates, but some have used a provision in the Cable Television Consumer > Protection and Competition Act of 1992 to exclude local sports > programming. > > The law allows cable companies to withhold content from rivals if it > isn't transmitted by satellite. Satellite TV providers have been > appealing to the FCC for help on the issue for several years, and > phone companies have gotten involved as they have tried to roll out > competitive TV services across the country. > > Last year, AT&T filed a complaint against Cox for denying it > permission to show San Diego Padres games on its local U-Verse TV > service. Verizon filed a similar complaint against Cablevision for > denying it access to a high-definition feed of games at Madison Square > Garden. > > FCC officials have considered the issue of closing the loophole for > several years and began a proceeding on the issue two years ago, > examining whether the agency had legal authority to do so. > > Separately, broadcasters and wireless carriers squared off at a > congressional hearing on airwaves Tuesday over a recent Federal > Communications Commission proposal to take back some TV airwaves and > use them for wireless broadband service instead. > > "There's an urgent need to identify more spectrum that's available for > wireless broadband and other advanced wireless services," said Steve > Largent, chief executive officer of CTIA, the wireless association's > trade group. "We simply can't wait to 2020 or beyond." > > "Broadcast television is the first wireless service to substantially > reduce its [airwaves] use while increasing its services," countered > Gordon Smith, a former Senator from Oregon who recently became chief > of the National Association of Broadcasters, which is trying to derail > efforts to take some TV airwaves away. > > Congress is considering legislation that would require the Federal > Communications Commission and Commerce Department to conduct an > inventory of how federal agencies and the private sector are using > U.S. airwaves. > > That inventory report would help government officials identify unused > airwaves which could be auctioned off to phone companies to offer more > wireless broadband services. > > "Before we can start identifying bands of spectrum that might be made > available for these new services, however, we need to understand how > existing spectrum is allocated and utilized," said Rep. Henry Waxman > (D., Calif.), chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, at > the hearing. > > FCC officials have already been looking for under-used airwaves as > part of their writing of a National Broadband Plan, a blueprint for > how the government can help improve the availability and affordability > of high-speed Internet. > > "We're at an unprecedented period in increased in demand for > spectrum," said Dale Hatfield, a wireless expert and professor at the > University of Colorado at Boulder, during the hearing. Mr. > Genachowski, the FCC chief, has previously called the looming spectrum > crunch "a crisis" that the agency must confront. > > AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and other large carriers say > they will need more airwaves to keep up with consumer demand. Devices > such as the Apple Inc. iPhone and other smart phones have increased > wireless internet use dramatically over the past few years. > > FCC officials recently proposed taking back some airwaves that aren't > being used by TV stations. That's prompted an outraged reaction from > some broadcasters, who are loath to give up the airwaves. > > Many TV stations don't currently use all of their allocated airwaves > but some are exploring the idea of offering more local digital > channels, including mobile channels for cell phones and other wireless > gadgets. > > "You will soon be able to receive broadcast TV on your cell phone. > Your BlackBerry could be a TV. Your iPhone could be a TV," said Mr. > Smith, during the hearing. "We're on the cusp of it." > > On Wednesday, FCC officials are expected to offer more details on > proposals that will be included in the National Broadband Plan, which > is due to Congress in February. The proposals are expected to revolve > around overhauling a federal phone subsidy program, increasing online > video competition and finding more airwaves for wireless broadband > services. > > Write to Amy Schatz at [email protected] > > > > -- > BOB > > -- > TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "TV or Not TV" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en > -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
