- • The FCC has announced that the October 2009 edition of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations is now available from the Government Printing office. The paperback version of Parts 70 to 79, covering broadcasting and cable TV, now costs $93.80. As a reminder, continuously updated FCC rules are available at no cost on-line at ecfr.gpoaccess.gov. Select "Title 47" on the first page to see the FCC regulations.
- • Verizon and AT&T aren't too happy about the FCC restricting them from using the Harbinger Capital Partners' terrestrial LTE wholesale broadband network I mentioned last week. See LTE Watch: Harbinger Angers AT&T & Verizonon Lightreading.com.
- • Ars Technica has a very interesting story, complete with historical photos, about AT&T's forgotten plot to hijack the U.S. airwaves. The story concludes that technology might have advanced faster if AT&T had been able to monopolize the spectrum and prevent broadcasters from gaining the political power they have today. The article reflects that "the Bell System's withdrawal from broadcasting left both radio and television in the hands of one technological institution, the licensed broadcast station."
It further notes that these early station owners quickly developed a powerful political lobby, which worked to block competing platforms, such as CATV, satellite radio, low power FM, and white space broadband. - • In a much more favorable take on over-the-air broadcasting from the heart of America, WCFCourier.com reports on Tower power: Antennas for TV reception gaining in popularity.
"We're throwing up antennas right and left," said Brian Shaw, operations manager at Don's TV Maximum Sound and Sight.
John Huff, who is general sales manager at NBC affiliate KWWL in Waterloo, Iowa, remarked that he felt this was a new beginning for off-air television.
"We're here for the communities we serve, and no one pays for that except the advertisers who choose to invest here," said Huff.
