Calls for delaying digital TV switchover (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

I forgot to mention, the list was issued with the following caveat:[FONT= 'Times New Roman']We remind stations that intend to terminate analog operations on February 17, 2009 that[/FONT]
consistent with their public interest responsibilities and Congress’ delay of the transition to June 12 to
give consumers additional time to prepare, the Commission has reserved the right to limit or reconsider
the partial waiver of the Third Periodic Review Report & Order’s early termination procedures granted in
the February 5 Public Notice in the event that the Commission determines that analog termination on
February 17 by a station or group of stations is contrary to the public interest. In such event, the
Commission will promptly notify the affected station or stations.8 The Commission may consider such
action if, for example, it finds that all or most of the stations in a market will terminate their analog
service on February 17, and that the market is one in which many viewers are unprepared for the
transition or at risk if the transition proceeds. In such case, the Commission may require affected stations
to submit additional information to explain and justify how their early termination advances the public
interest. Such additional information can include significant economic, technical, contractual and other
business reasons that support termination on February 17, and efforts being made to protect consumers
from service disruptions. The Commission will scrutinize such information closely in light of the
important interests at stake to determine whether a compelling case has been made.So not all the stations listed will necessarily be able to shut off analog on Tuesday.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The FCC has announced that stations that will have to provide more information before being allowed to cease analog broadcasts on Tuesday:[FONT= 'Times New Roman']

FCC 09-7[/FONT]​

February 11, 2009​

​

FCC Requires Public Interest Conditions for Certain Analog TV Terminations on February 17, 2009

Certain Stations Must Respond By Friday, February 13, 2009

On February 5, 2009, the Commission released a Public Notice, FCC 09-6 (“February 5th Public Notice”), in which it granted a partial waiver of the Third DTV Periodic Report and Order to permit television broadcast stations to cease analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009, despite the extension of the national DTV transition deadline to June 12, 2009 pursuant to the DTV Delay Act.[1]#_ftn1 In the February 5th Public Notice, the Commission reserved the right to limit or reconsider the partial waiver if we determine that analog termination on February 17 by a station or group of stations is contrary to the public interest.[2] As explained in the February 5th Public Notice, the primary concern of the Commission is to ensure that viewers relying on over-the-air television do not lose access to local news, public affairs and emergency information before they are ready for the full power television transition to all-digital television service. It was this concern that prompted the Congress to delay the digital transition until June 12, 2009, and it is this concern that prompts our action here.

We have now reviewed the 491 termination notices filed by the stations intending to end analog service on February 17, 2009.[3]#_ftn3 We find that 368 of these stations may proceed with their intended termination of analog service on February 17th. We remind these stations of their obligations to provide viewer notifications and continuous crawls before they terminate their analog service on Tuesday, February 17, 2009.[4] Over 100 stations indicated that they will provide nightlight-type service for at least two weeks on their analog channel. This nightlight service should include DTV education and emergency information, as needed. We also strongly urge these stations to increase their local outreach efforts in their communities. To assist the consumers in these markets, the Commission is assessing and re-deploying field staff and resources to key locations where stations are terminating on February 17. We are also coordinating with our contractors, partners, and industry stakeholders to provide extra support in these areas. The Commission is also mobilizing the expanded Call Center, in conjunction with industry groups, to assist with expected increase in call volume on February 17th, and the days just before and after these analog terminations. We will do our utmost to assure that, with the cooperation of the stations in these markets, and our outreach partners, the partial transition moves with minimum disruption to viewers.

We also commend the two-thirds of stations that will remain on the air, providing analog service beyond February 17, 2009. We appreciate that many of these stations are committed to continuing to provide analog service to their viewers until the new DTV transition deadline of June 12, 2009. We also recognize that there are some stations that are planning to terminate analog service before June 12, 2009. We are evaluating whether a revised process for these stations would be warranted.[5]#_ftn5

In contrast to the stations remaining on the air and those that have previously terminated analog service or complied with the Third DTV Periodic Report and Order procedures to terminate analog service before February 17th, we have identified 123 stations of the 491 intending to terminate analog service on February 17th whose early termination poses a significant risk of substantial public harm.[6]#_ftn6 We developed this list of stations by first identifying the markets in which all of the stations would be terminating analog service on February 17, 2009. We also identified markets in which affiliates of all four of the major networks, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, would be terminating analog service, or, in markets that do not have affiliates of all four networks, we determined if all of the major networks broadcasting in those markets would be terminating their analog service on February 17th.[7] We also considered loss of major network service in cities within the larger DMAs. We considered the presence of major networks and their affiliates critical to ensuring that viewers have access to local news and public affairs available over the air because the major network affiliates are the primary source of local broadcast news and public affairs programming. Therefore, even if independent or non-commercial stations remain on the air in these markets, we still considered these areas at risk. The stations and markets that we identified in this analysis are attached in the Appendix.[8]

Accordingly, we hereby reconsider the partial waiver granted by the February 5th Public Notice to those stations listed on the Appendix attached to this Public Notice. These stations are, therefore, not permitted to terminate their analog service on February 17th, unless they comply with the conditions and procedures described below. Any station that was listed in Appendix A to the February 17, 2009 Termination List Public Notice, DA 09-221,[9]#_ftn9 and is not listed in the Appendix to this PN, is expected to proceed with termination of its analog service on that date, subject to the conditions previously described in the February 5th Public Notice.

Stations listed in the Appendix to this Public Notice may obtain reinstatement of the waiver necessary for them to terminate analog service on February 17, 2009 by certifying to the Commission, not later than the close of business (6:00 pm EST) on Friday, February 13th, that they will individually undertake the measures specified herein as a means of ameliorating the public interest harms that the termination of their analog service would engender. We also encourage stations in the markets listed in the Appendix to cooperate and undertake the actions on a joint basis. Each station should certify in response to this Public Notice its compliance with the following eight measures.[10]#_ftn10 These certifications will reflect that the station is undertaking the action individually or that they have confirmed that another station will do so.

• Ensure that at least one station that is currently providing analog service to an area within the DMA that will no longer receive analog service after February 17, 2009 will continue broadcasting an analog signal providing, at a minimum, DTV transition and emergency information, as well as local news and public affairs programming (“enhanced nightlight” service[11]#_ftn11) for at least 60 days following February 17, 2009. The local news, public affairs, or other programming may include commercial advertising.
• Ensure that on-air educational information (prior to February 17 and thereafter as part of “enhanced nightlight” service) will include demonstrations of converter box installations, antenna setups, and other helpful information.
• Ensure that enhanced nightlight service concerning the DTV transition or emergency information will be provided in Spanish and English and accessible to the disability community (e.g., silent scrolls or slates do not provide information to the visually impaired, and therefore, broadcast notices must have an aural component, as well as being closed or open captioned).
• Ensure that the DTV educational information, both on-air and through other means, will provide information describing areas that may be losing over-the-air signal coverage temporarily or permanently as the station transitions to digital-only broadcasting. Such information may include detailed maps, listings of affected communities, and instructions on how to assess what type of antenna may be necessary to retain or regain the station’s digital signal, as well as identifying specific locations that will not be able to receive a digital signal regardless of antenna.
• Each station individually or collectively in the market commits to assisting viewers by providing local or toll-free telephone assistance, including engineering support. Such assistance may be provided jointly with other stations, organizations, and businesses in the area.
• Each station alone or together with other stations or local businesses and organizations in the market will provide a location and staff for a consumer “walk-in” center to assist consumers with applying for coupons and obtaining converter boxes, to demonstrate how to install converter boxes, to provide maps and lists of communities that may be affected by coverage issues, and to serve as a redistribution point for consumers who are willing to donate coupons, converter boxes, televisions and for those in need of these items.
• Each station, individually, is complying with the obligation established in the February 5th Public Notice to broadcast a crawl on their analog channel regarding the station’s termination of analog service, for the seven day period from February 10 through the termination of the station’s analog signal on February 17. For the first five days, the crawl must be aired for 5 minutes of every hour of the station’s analog broadcast day, including during primetime. For the final two days, the crawl must be aired for 10 minutes of every hour of the station’s analog broadcast day, including during primetime. Each station will include in the crawl the FCC toll-free number for our Call Center (1-888-CALLFCC, 1-888-225-5322) beginning as soon as possible following the release of this Public Notice. · Each station will consider and is encouraged to coordinate with and use community resources to provide consumer outreach and support, including in-home assistance.

Stations listed in the Appendix that do not certify that they will undertake the actions described above may make an alternative showing to the Commission that extraordinary, exigent circumstances, such as the unavoidable loss of their analog site or extreme economic hardship, require that they terminate their analog service on February 17th. The showing should not exceed five (5) pages, not including attachments.[12]#_ftn12 We do not anticipate that many stations will be able to meet the high burden applicable to this showing. Any station electing to make this showing must await a determination by the Commission that its showing is sufficient before terminating analog service. The Commission will endeavor to resolve all of these cases prior to February 17th.

Stations certifying to the above conditions are permitted to cease analog operations on February 17, 2009 without further authorization from the Commission.[13]#_ftn13 Pursuant to this Public Notice, we restore the waiver to be effective at the time the station certifies compliance with the public interest conditions.
The FCC reserves the right to take appropriate action against stations that certify they will meet the conditions, fail to do so and nevertheless go off the air on February 17, 2009.

For additional information, contact Barbara Kreisman, [email protected], of the Media Bureau, Video Division, at (202) 418-1600.

Action taken by the Commission on February 11, 2009: Acting Chairman Michael J. Copps and Commissioners Jonathan S. Adelstein and Robert M. McDowell.



- FCC -Here's the list of stations that might not be able to shut off as expectedMACITYSTNETWORKCALLSIGNNITE
LITEPRE 2/17ON
2/17LICENSEEALPENAALPENAMICBSWBKB-TVN XTHUNDER BAY BROADCASTING CORPORATION.BAKERSFIELDBAKERSFIELDCAABCKERO-TVN XMCGRAW-HILL BROADCASTING COMPANY, INC.BAKERSFIELDBAKERSFIELDCACBSKBAK-TVN XFISHER BROADCASTING - CALIFORNIA TV, L.L.C.BAKERSFIELDBAKERSFIELDCANBCKGET-TVN XHIGH PLAINS BROADCASTING LICENSE COMPANY LLCBILLINGSHARDINMTFOXKHMTN XMISSION BROADCASTING, INC.BILLINGSBILLINGSMTABCKSVIN XNEXSTAR BROADCASTING, INC.BILLINGSBILLINGSMTCBSKTVQN XKTVQ COMMUNICATIONS, INC.BILLINGSBILLINGSMTNBCKULR-TVN XMMM LICENSE II LLCBINGHAMTONBINGHAMTONNYCBSWBNG-TVN XWBNG LICENSE, INC.BINGHAMTONBINGHAMTONNYFOXWICZ-TVN XSTAINLESS BROADCASTING, L.P.BINGHAMTONBINGHAMTONNYNBCWIVTN XNEWPORT TELEVISION LICENSE LLCBLUEFIELD-BECKLEY-OAK HILLBLUEFIELDWVNBCWVVAY XWVVA TELEVISION, INC.BOWLING GREENBOWLING GREENKYNBCWNKYN XMMK LICENSE LLCBURLINGTON-PLATTSBURGHNORTH POLENYNBCWPTZY XHEARST-ARGYLE STATIONS, INC.BURLINGTON-PLATTSBURGHHARTFORDVTNBCWNNEN XHEARST-ARGYLE STATIONS, INC.BURLINGTON-PLATTSBURGHBURLINGTONVTABCWVNYN XLAMBERT BROADCASTING OF BURLINGTON, LLCBURLINGTON-PLATTSBURGHBURLINGTONVTCBSWCAX-TVY

 

[DaveF]

This argument is a horse of a different color from "is it a right?", which Adam replied to in the way I wish I had

I've read there were two competing plans: one to offer vouchers only to low-income households, requiring a modest Federal budget. The other was to offer them to everyone, with a very large pricetag. The political compromise was to offer it to everyone using the low-income-only budget. Hence, the voucher shortages.

Maybe we should have had an income threshold for the vouchers. The transition is of such a magnitude and singular event that vouchers for some were necessary, so we can agree on that

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

People forget the hardware-side of the equation here. All of the converter boxes you have on the market today were manufactured to technical specs set by Congress. This makes sense, since the boxes are pieces of hardware meant to fill a demand artifically created by congressional action. For the most part, this has resulted in a much richer feature set than consumers would have otherwise gotten, because the electronics companies would have stripped out anything unneccessary to get the most competitve price.

However the one big limitation imposed by Congress is that the DTA converter boxes only output an analog picture at 480i resolution. This limitation exists speciifically so those who can afford $1,800 HDTVs, but happened to buy them before digital tuners came standard, wouldn't gobble up all the coupons.

Of course, for many that don't have BluRay, DVD resolution for broadcast television would be just fine even on their big screen TV. But because of that limitation, the boxes are going to appeal most to those with old SD CRT sets. I'm sure there are going to be some old ladies out there with converter boxes jury-rigged to old B&W sets.

 

[RobertR]

Someone got really upset about the switchover:

KARE: Man Shoots TV Over Converter Confusion - 2009-02-19 21:00:00 - Broadcasting & Cable

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Quote:



Originally Posted by RobertR
Someone got really upset about the switchover:

KARE: Man Shoots TV Over Converter Confusion - 2009-02-19 21:00:00 - Broadcasting & Cable




Stories like this one always make me thing of Mike Judge's Idiocracy. Sometimes I feel like I can witness it beginning to happen:The station reports that a 70-year-old Joplin man was arrested and charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm after shooting his TV set. Responding to a report of shots being fired, the station reported, the police found the man angry that he had both lost his cable and had been unable to get his new DTV converter box to work.

According to the man's wife, he had been drinking.The national numbers give me better faith in humanity. According to the FCC, call volumes remained steady from before to after the switch:[FONT= 'Times New Roman']Date[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']Call Volume[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']Friday, Feb. 13[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']11,819[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']Saturday, Feb. 14[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']8,178[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']Sunday, Feb. 15[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']7,324[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']Monday, Feb. 16[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']20,673[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']Tuesday, Feb. 17[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']27,764[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']Wednesday, Feb. 18[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']25,320[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']Thursday, Feb. 19[/FONT] [FONT= 'Times New Roman']17,920[/FONT]

 

[Greg_S_H]

I don't care if the switch happens or not so long as "Ow! My Balls!" isn't interrupted.

 

[Nelson Au]

We're two weeks away from the switch over and it looks like it's going to happen.

My local stations have been upping the announcements and have news stories about what to do and what the switch is about for the less technically minded.

I am seeing some stories about cable providers taking advantage of some customers by misrepresenting the facts and forcing the purchase of digital cable or the need for a new cable box.

Also I see stories where stores are scaring customers into buying an HDTV because they think the digital TV switch over is about HD.

Also, fortunately, there's a lot of local agencies for the elderly communities and minority communities that are helping them out with assistance with acquiring converter boxes and set-up..

For me, I am OTA, so far so good. It will be interesting to see what happens on June 12th!

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Assuming there isn't another last-minute change, June 12th will be the last day that the analog stations are on the air- I had that clarified a couple days ago. Most stations will go off right at midnight, but some may do it earlier- KTXL in Sacramento will shut down at 9AM right after their morning news show. Since I don't have to work that day I'm planning on just watching analog TV all day until the last station is off the air or running a loop about how to install a digital tuner, which KICU did a couple days after February 17th. I just have an indoor antenna since I'm in an apartment, so I don't get perfect analog reception and won't be able to make any recordings, but hopefully enough people will be able to do this and put them online.

With what I've seen the past few days, they're certainly not letting it go out in style. I haven't watched much TV in the past 10 years, mostly because network shows keep logos on the screen all the time, but also because there are simply WAY too many commercials and so much programming is aimed at complete idiots. I know that's been said for years, but every year it seems to get worse.

Having seen how good perfect analog reception can be, I'm not convinced digital is the way to go either. It's usually an improvement if you just have an indoor antenna, but if you have an aimable roof antenna and are close enough to the transmitters, it may not be as much of one. Digital TV isn't technically perfect, and I'd be upset about that if there was anything on that I cared about- most stations use too much compression so there are digital artifacts (the blockiness effect), some of the sub-channels are so bad they look like Video-CD quality. The FCC should have set a minimum bitrate for each station so this didn't happen, but all they seem to care about is if anyone says any naughty words.

 

[McPaul]

I'll just be glad when it's finally changed over. There is far too many interruptions about how the switch is coming... WE KNOW ALREADY, STOP WITH THE ADVERTISEMENTS!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

On June 12 – one week from tomorrow – the nation’s full-power television stations will switch to all-digital programming. The transition to digital will free up airwaves for broadband and enhanced emergency communications for our police officers, firefighters, and other first responders.In February, I worked with Congress to postpone the deadline television broadcasters had to end their analog signals, because it was clear that millions of Americans would have been left in the dark if the conversion had gone on as planned. I directed key members of my Administration to reach out and help Americans, especially those in our most vulnerable communities, to make the switch to digital television.

In the months since then, we have worked hand in hand with state and local officials, broadcasters, and community groups to educate and assist millions of Americans with the transition. The number of households unprepared for digital television has been cut in half. Still, some people are not ready. I want to be clear: there will not be another delay. I urge everyone who is not yet prepared to act today, so you don’t lose important news and emergency information on June 12. And I encourage all Americans who are prepared, to talk to their friends, family, and neighbors to make sure they get ready before it’s too late.

The FCC is offering limited free home installation of converter boxes, and adjustment of antennas through its 1-888-CALLFCC help line.

Interestingly, after the switch the "-DT" callsign suffix will be functionally obsolete. The digital broadcast for previously analog stations will revert automatically back to the "-TV" callsign, and digital from the beginning stations may request to switch to the "-TV" callsign.

 

[KapilNarain]

They're FCC-mandated, down to the number and frequency

 

[Jesse Skeen]

More like so you don't lose important infomercials, hacked-to-bits movies and bug-infested shows with tons of commercials! I'll be watching the entire final day for old time's sake, but good TV already died a long time ago.

Wonder if they'd delay the cutoff if the Grand Canyon flooded on Friday, or some other huge disaster?

 

[Brian^K]

Really, the only reason people need to make sure that they have OTA television reception is for what the President mentioned: Important new and emergency information. Everything else is optional.

 

[Nelson Au]

Today is the day!

Midnight tonight, T minus 13 hours and counting here in the West Coast until analog TV goes off.

Looking at the news reports, there is still a large number of people who are not ready! They either don't care, don't watch TV or are simply totally in the dark.

From the San Francisco Chronicle

Doesn't sound too bad, 2.5 percent seems pretty small.

 

[Malcolm R]

If they're not ready by now, they'll never be. Can't hold up progress for the sake of a few procrastinators.

Shouldn't be any major issues. All the stations around here changed over in February with little ruckus. The biggest issue has been signal strength getting over the mountains and into the rural valleys. Some of those who used to get a weak but watchable analog signal have found the new digital picture unwatchable (pixellating, freeze ups, etc.).