[ale] DSL -> Cable

[Jeff Lightner]

One of my favorite non-arguments:  Legislatively mandated without
funding.  
We're talking about TV not food, healthcare or some other "entitlement".
Nothing in the law requires anyone to own a TV or have cable service.

Of all the "entitlement" arguments I've ever seen this has to be the
worst.  At least the "digitial divide" argument is couched in terms of
denying poor people educational opportunities.  I'd have to laugh long
and hard at the suggestion that TV is primarily an educational tool even
with PBS.

What was federally mandated was the standard and the deadline for
implementation of the standard.  Otherwise we'd have to deal with
Betamax vs VHS just for basic TV programming and I for one wouldn't like
to see that.   The standard had to be decided by the government because
the airwaves are allotted by the government as owned by "the public".
Otherwise you might see WAGA blasting an ultra-strong signal just to
override WATL and thereby increase their ratings by dint of being the
only provider you could actually receive.

The digital signal requires a digital receiver.  So far as I know there
is nothing prohibiting cable companies from receiving local digital
programming and converting it into an analog signal to send down the
wire.  Cable TV is and always has been something you had to pay for as
opposed to broadcast for which the standard is intended.   The idea of
the standard is it allows more information in less bandwidth thereby
opening up additional "channels".


-----Original Message-----
From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of JK
To: ale at ale.org
Sent: Friday, August 25, 2006 3:44 PM
To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
Subject: Re: [ale] DSL -> Cable

James Sumners wrote:

> I won't be watching the Rose Bowl period :)
> 
> If I'm not mistaken they have to offer the local channel only package.

But are they required to offer it in an analog format?
My understanding is that recent legislation has mandated
digital service nationwide; I'm not sure if providers are
allowed to phase out analog, though.  (Last year my local
PBS station had to do a special pledge drive in order to
finance a legislatively-mandated upgrade of all their
transmission equipment to be digital-capable.)

-- JK

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