DTV Transition & Media Reform

For more than two years, in three different proceedings and a host of Commission sponsored workshops, the Commission has received reams of evidence on the public interest value of permitting direct access to the public to broadcast band spectrum via the Part 15 rules. While incumbents have railed against the Commission, promising dire consequences for the future of free over-the-air television and for the digital transition, these claims lack merit. As far back as 1989, the Commission recognized that it… more

SUMMARY

Serving local communities – “localism” – is a fundamental goal of American broadcast policy. Localism means providing residents of local communities with diverse cultural programming, opportunities for self-expression, and access to the solid, in-depth public affairs programming about local and national affairs that is essential to democracy. Congress has repeatedly asserted the importance of localism in promoting the goals of the First Amendment for the electronic media, and the courts have steadfastly upheld efforts to promote localism.

While the national… more

SUPPORT OF RETENTION BY BROADCASTERS OF PROGRAM RECORDINGS

Few would dispute that local broadcasters are a primary source of political information for the American public. Indeed, the broadcasters have submitted numerous surveys to Congress and the FCC over the years proving just that point. The question is: are mechanisms in place to make that power transparent and thus accountable to the American public? The answer to that question, resoundingly, is no.

The field of political communication, for example, studies mass… more

On July 21, 2004, J.H. Snider of New America Foundation testified before the House of Represenatives Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. The following is an excerpt from his remarks. The complete transcript is available in the PDF file linked below:

Good morning. My name is Jim Snider, and I’m a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan public policy institute here in Washington. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee,… more

There is general agreement that traditional mechanisms for managing radio frequency (RF) spectrum are inefficient and in need of significant reform. Many, if not most, of the economists who have considered the issue appear to concur with the view that increased reliance on market forces would enhance efficiency, and support assigning spectrum via transferable, flexible licenses, especially when spectrum is perceived to be scarce. The FCC’s Spectrum Policy Task Force (SPTF) has endorsed this perspective, advocating only limited use of… more

SUMMARY

A great opportunity may await the American public through the transition to digital radio. In the future, digital audio broadcasting could vastly increase the capacity for the transmission of radio programming and other services. The coalition of public interest organizations represented in these comments (“Public Interest Coalition” or “Coalition”) commends the Commission for its forward-thinking FNPRM and endeavors to provide proposals to support the Commission’s proactive exploration of public interest obligations for digital audio broadcasting. The Coalition’s premise is… more

Michael Calabrese, director of New America's Wireless Future program, testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in June 2004. His opening remarks are excerpted here; a full transcript is available below in PDF form.

There is a general consensus that rapidly completing the digital TV transition – thereby freeing up the 108 MHz of “beachfront” spectrum corresponding to TV channels 52-to- 69 – is clearly in the public interest. Because wireless signals at this frequency range pass easily… more

Last August, Berlin completed its transition to terrestrial, over-the-air digital TV. From start to finish, Berlin's DTV transition took approximately 9 months. The most interesting feature of its transition plan was that instead of giving subsidies to complete the transition to broadcasters, they were given to consumers. Consumers dependent on broadcast TV were given a voucher so they could purchase digital-to-analog converter boxes allowing them to continue to watch broadcast TV on their analog TV sets.

In… more

There is a general consensus that accelerating the digital TV transition -- thereby freeing up the 108 MHz of “beachfront” spectrum corresponding to TV channels 52- to-69 -- is clearly in the public interest. Because transmissions at this frequency range pass easily through walls and trees, the 700 MHz band could jumpstart the deployment of more affordable wireless broadband connections, particularly in rural areas. Although Congress has already reallocated a portion of these TV channels for public safety agencies (to… more