Electronic Media

Published: 07-10-95 



FCC'S HDTV PLANS STILL BAD IDEA FOR BROADCASTERS    



Byline:  Joe Fedele 



 The Federal Communications Commission is getting closer to

adopting long-awaited advanced TV standards, which will move the

analog TV world one giant step closer to the digital domain.

 However, the plan the FCC may approve is a far cry from the one

that was originally proposed just a few years ago.

 There have been some very radical ideas suggested, including

broadcasting up to three channels of programing plus several

data services on ATV.

 Over the years, I've maintained that the original ATV plan

proposed by the FCC in 1992 was a bad idea, doomed to failure.

 It was naive and just plain foolish for anyone to think that

broadcasters could afford to pour hundreds of millions of

dollars into a bottomless pit, with virtually no viewers at the

beginning and a payback sometime in the next millennium.

 High-definition television and ATV services are a great idea,

but only if broadcasters can pay for them. In today's

competitive, multichannel environment, broadcasters cannot

afford a one-channel ATV system.

 Technological advances will allow broadcasters to deliver

multiple programs on one TV channel. The video may consist of

one high-quality, HDTV signal and two VHS-quality channels, or

possibly two simultaneous HDTV programs.

 The data transmissions offered by the new ATV systems could

allow for interactive computer services and local ad

opportunities that could be a revenue producer for sales staffs.

 Three years ago the FCC proposed to phase in HDTV over a

15-year period starting in 1993. However, delays in the

development of this new technology have pushed the start date

back.

 Perhaps this delay is a blessing in disguise. It offers  time

for a reality check while the new technologies mature.

 As of this writing ATV's debut date is still in limbo. Industry

sources anticipate that the FCC will adopt transmission

standards in October. That would mean that the first HDTV

stations likely will go on the air in 1997.

 However, politics may play a larger part in determining ATV's

birthdate than technical issues.

 There's a movement in Washington to charge broadcasters for

spectrum used to transmit ATV.

 Station owners, who are fighting this proposal vigorously, say

this spectrum was already promised to them at no cost and if

they were forced to pay for it they could not afford to build

ATV facilities.

 Some broadcasters have said  they might charge subscriber fees

for ATV services-a proposition that has also drawn fire.

 For now, anyway, it looks like the FCC will deliver as

originally promised, and broadcasters will stick to their plan

of providing free over-the-air television. If not, the public

will be shortchanged and some broadcasters may be forced out of

business.

 As the ATV plan stands now, broadcasters would be required to

program two distinct channels. Many stations struggle to

prosperously broadcast just one.

 The commission is mistaken if it thinks that broadcasters will

thrive if they are forced to pay  spectrum fees in order to

promote something they might not want in the first place.