Grand Theft Digital: How Corporate Broadcasters Will Hijack Digital TV

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/12/9583/

Grand Theft Digital: How Corporate Broadcasters Will Hijack Digital TV
by Bruce Dixon


On February 17, 2009 a massive, but so far little-noted corporate theft of the public airwaves will be consummated as US analog TV stations switch to digital TV (DTV) broadcasting. Digital broadcast technology enables three, four and sometimes more separate channels to be compressed into the space formerly occupied by a single old-fashioned analog TV channel. So when the transition from analog to digital TV occurs nationwide on February 17, 2009 each of the nation’s more than 1700 broadcast TV license holders will suddenly have two, three or more additional channels, a gift from the taxpayers worth an estimated $70 billion.

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If there is truly a nationwide movement for media justice it must rear its head in the next few weeks. The people of Wilmington NC know they deserve more choices, more localism, more news and more control over their media than they have now. Right now, they don’t know know that Wilmington’s four local TV stations are about to become sixteen stations with no increase in local accountability, no new local news or public service, no local arts, and certainly no local ownership. They must be told.

If there is a nationwide media justice “movement” worthy of that name it will concentrate its resources in a public education campaign and a mass mobilization, first in Wilmington NC and then nationwide with the aim of overthrowing the cozy deal broadcasters have worked out with their puppets in the FCC and the Congress. There will be another new Congress soon, and another president. This is a political moment when much is possible, but only in the context of a broad and sustained demand to overthrow the secretive sweetheart deal broadcasters have cooked up for themselves to monopolize the newly available digital TV channels. That’s what real movements do — they seize key political moments, they conduct mass education campaigns to take us someplace we would never go without them.

The FCC, the current Congress and candidates for the next one, presidential candidates and everybody else should be forced to explain repeatedly over the next few months why thousands of newly available digital TV channels should not go to thousands of new local broadcasters — to community organizations, local entrepreneurs, local churches, schools and unions, to blacks, Latinos, Native Americans and to women. It’s our spectrum. It’s our public space. It’s our right.

If a nationwide movement for media justice really exists, it must begin to expose the privatization of the public airwaves hidden in plain sight under the guise of the “transition” from analog to digital TV. It must harness the power of the people to challenge this grand theft of our digital destiny.

Yes, I know the corporate bean counters are looking at this to maximize their dollar, but hopefully most stations will use their digital channel for HD broadcasts. I know all CBS owned and operated stations are required to only have ONE channel, and it uses the maximum bitrate, 19.2mbit. I am also okay with broadcasts using a seperate channel to show weather radar, as it does not impact the primary channel bitrate much (maybe 1-2mbit).

I get my hdtv free and over the air using an antenna (how quaint). Previously I used to be able to get only 5 channels, but now with the subchannels I get 12, including 4 addition PBS channels. Let me see: 5 channels--or 12, 5 channels--or 12. I think I am happy with the 12 channels. No, I don't feel ripped off at all. And it was such a great opportunity to get all worked up about big corporations. Oh well.

Wilmington NC stations will broadcast four high definition channels and not 16 standard definition channels.

They can't do both.

Consider this.

The reason for limiting the number of stations in a city boils down to a combination of two factors: There are only so many discrete signals; the distance analog signals can go and still either be received is rather large, and one station's signal can easily interfere with the outer limits of another station's signal if they're too close.

I think I recall hearing that digital signals need to be stronger to cover the same area. A weak digital signal usually equals no signal--if enough drops out for a picture to appear slightly snowy (in analog) all you get is "no signal" in digital.

In other words, it's likely that new channels will open up as of next February when the FCC finds that they can increase the number of broadcast stations in your area without increasing the amount of interference with signals in other markets.

In any event, I look at Houston's channels, and I find that there digitial channels without analog analogs. Perhaps because they don't threaten neighboring areas; perhaps because Houston could have more.

Remember: The audience to be served aren't broadcasters and those that want to broadcast, but viewers.