Comments on: FCC Eyes National Broadband Program After Success Of Digital T.V. Transition http://talkradionews.com/2009/07/fcc-eyes-national-broadband-program-after-success-of-digital-tv-tansfe/ The Talk Radio News Service is the only information news service dedicated to serving the talk radio community. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 04:11:35 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Douglas Zimmer http://talkradionews.com/2009/07/fcc-eyes-national-broadband-program-after-success-of-digital-tv-tansfe/comment-page-1/#comment-45302 Douglas Zimmer Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:25:17 +0000 http://talkradionews.com/?p=29772#comment-45302 The "success" of the digital transition? My dear mother-in-law used to get eight broadcast channels. Now she gets one, sometimes. And there are large, cable-inaccessible pockets of the country that have simply given up on receiving television at all. Please define "success". It was certainly "successfully" completed by broadcasters, and was probably "successful" for some cable and satellite companies. The FCC can pat itself on the back for the challenging task of continuing to exist past the transition date. But what I'm seeing is a lot of rural and poor people simply ignored and cut out of the calculation. I'd love to see universal broadband, but considering the FCC's track record, I suspect it's just a ploy to make more money for their cable company pals, and that people who don't make the cut for cost-effective revenue will simply become invisible. They sure love that February 17 date. Perhaps it will eventually become one of those dates that will live in infamy. The “success” of the digital transition? My dear mother-in-law used to get eight broadcast channels. Now she gets one, sometimes. And there are large, cable-inaccessible pockets of the country that have simply given up on receiving television at all. Please define “success”. It was certainly “successfully” completed by broadcasters, and was probably “successful” for some cable and satellite companies. The FCC can pat itself on the back for the challenging task of continuing to exist past the transition date. But what I’m seeing is a lot of rural and poor people simply ignored and cut out of the calculation.

I’d love to see universal broadband, but considering the FCC’s track record, I suspect it’s just a ploy to make more money for their cable company pals, and that people who don’t make the cut for cost-effective revenue will simply become invisible.

They sure love that February 17 date. Perhaps it will eventually become one of those dates that will live in infamy.

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