Posted on 02/09/2008 6:02:18 PM PST by shrinkermd
ON Feb. 17, 2009, all broadcast television stations will end their analog transmissions and shift to digital signals. This is a complex process that involves spending billions of dollars to build new towers and antennas and to subsidize converter boxes for consumers who don’t have digital TVs.
In all this planning and spending on the transition to digital transmission, however, we have yet to address the question of “white spaces.” White spaces are the intervals between television channel frequencies to ensure that TV reception is not interrupted by other signals.
The usefulness of these white spaces is about to be compromised by a proposal before the Federal Communications Commission by some of the nation’s largest technology companies. Microsoft, Google and others are asking permission to use white spaces — free of charge — for millions of unregulated and unlicensed devices for personal networking systems that they would like to sell, including P.D.A.’s, wireless broadband devices and even toys.
These devices could disrupt the new digital TV signals that government and industry have spent so much time and money to promote.
In my district, which includes New York’s theater district, performers use wireless microphones on these “unused” frequencies, as do news crews conducting live interviews on the street. Every major sports franchise relies on these channels for in-game communications...
Unlicensed devices, like wireless laptops and remote-controlled toys, operating in the white spaces will probably cause havoc to TV viewers, theater goers and sports fans. They could potentially render digital television sets and the government-subsidized converter boxes inoperable. Low-income households, the elderly and people living in multifamily buildings who don’t have cable service and rely on antenna systems could be prevented from watching their favorite programs and from receiving important emergency information — nationwide, that’s 45 million to 60 million people.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Here’s a novel suggestion, rather than using an analog antenna why not just buy a thirty dollar basic cable package like everyone else where’s there no reception over the air.
The broadcast licensees have been given the use of massive amounts of bandwidth and they’re worried about a few scraps falling off of the table.
“receiving important emergency information”
Oops, guess they’ll have to listen to the radio for their latest hurricane Katrina news.
Meanwhile, notice the article said the new converter boxes are government subsidized, ie: paid for by u’an’me. You’re welcome!
I’m no fan of Jerry “Porky” Nadler, but Microsoft and Google are free to bid in the current 700mhz spectrum auction. I don’t trust them to self police themselves in the “white spaces”.
Because cable video quality stinks and costs money, for one thing. I enjoy free HD over the air. I see now you specified “where there’s no reception OTA”, but there are few locations of any population with cable service and no broadcast anyway.
Guess I’ll just have to follow the money on this one.
We use ours when we camp.
We would need a really long cable.
Ahh, must be a liberal. ‘We’ve already stolen those frequencies, so us few thousand should trump the millions out there who would benefit from the opening of these frequencies.’
Unplug everything and enjoy the quiet!
The converter boxes don’t cost us one cent. They are paid for from the funds received through auctioning off the analog TV frequencies.
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