DTV News for 9-8-2005

[Lee Wood]

DTV News for 9-8-2005
479 Days Until the Scheduled End of Analog Television Broadcasting

DTV STATIONS IN OPERATION (as of September 8, 2005)
1525 Stations in 211 Markets Delivering in Digital
(National Association of Broadcasters)
http://www.nab.org/newsroom/issues/digi ... ations.asp

NAB pushes for DTV multicast must-carry
As part of its legislative push, the NAB unveiled results of a new study showing the financial benefits of multicast DTV carriage by cable systems.
(Broadcast Engineering)
http://broadcastengineering.com/newslet ... /20050907/#

Cablers fire on b'caster-backed law
Nets continue to fight carriage rule
(Variety)
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111792 ... Id=14&cs=1

NCTA: We'll Fight vs. Multicast Must-Carry
Big cable vowed Wednesday to fight broadcasters' plea for Congress to force cable operators to carry any digital program a TV station broadcasts.
(MediaWeek)
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent ... 1001056074

NCTA: Multicast Laws Could Spur Litigation
Legislation that forces cable TV operators to carry all of the free programming services that broadcasters multicast on digital TV channels could be met by cable TV industry lawsuits that would cost the federal government billions of dollars.
(TelevisionWeek)
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=8474

Cablers claim multicast will be too costly
Cable operators are claiming that forcing them to carry all of the digital TV streams a broadcaster can program could cost the industry in excess of $100 billion, according to a new study. NCTA president Kyle McSlarrow said the study gives lawmakers a range of possible costs to contemplate.
(Hollywood Reporter)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/te ... 1001056873

NCTA: Government-imposed multicasting 'unconstitutional'
Government-mandated multicasting would violate the First and Fifth Amendments, National Cable & Telecommunications Association President & CEO Kyle McSlarrow asserted this week in a letter addressed to Congress.
(CED Magazine)
http://www.cedmagazine.com/cedailydirec ... 0907.htm#1

NCTA: Multicasting Could Cost $116B
Expansion of local-TV-carriage requirements could cost the federal government up to $116 billion to settle claims by cable operators.
(Multichannel News)
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6 ... erral=SUPP

NCTA: Multicasting Could Cost Billions
Forcing multicast must-carry on cable operators could cost the federal government billions of dollars if courts found that the carriage obligation was an unconstitutional seizure of private property.
(Multichannel News)
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6 ... erral=SUPP

Consumer Groups Fight Multicast Must-Carry [Paid Subscription Required]
One decade ago, consumer groups fought with the broadcast lobby for must-carry, the right of every TV station to demand cable carriage.
(Multichannel News)
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6 ... aking+News

Consumer Groups Oppose Multicast Must-Carry [Paid Subscription Required]
Saying that requiring cable to carry all of a broadcasters' digital signals would only amplify big media's microphone, Consumers Union, Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Digital Democracy and Free Press have weighed in with the House and Senate Commerce Committees against multicast must-carry.
(Broadcasting & Cable)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/articl ... aking+News

Must-Carry Fights Smut-Carry, Says NRB [Paid Subscription Required]
Religious Broadcasters have come up with a new argument for requiring cable to carry all of the channels broadcasters can fit into their digital spectrum allotment: At least they won't be cable channels.
(Broadcasting & Cable)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/articl ... aking+News

NCTA Releases Economic Analysis Showing That Mandatory Multicasting Would Cost Billions
(National Cable and Telecommunications Association)
http://www.ncta.com/press/press.cfm?PRi ... rticles=ok

NCTA Releases Legal Analysis Showing that Government-Imposed Multicasting is Unconstitutional