Chris Blount
06-10-05, 05:58 AM
Entities with local TV stations in Puerto Rico wrote the Federal Communications Commission this week concerning satellite TV service to the U.S. commonwealth, saying DBS providers shouldn't have trouble offering local TV service to the island.
Encuentro Christian Network (ECN) and Eastern Television Corporation (ETC) told the FCC that language in the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act (SHVERA) pertaining to non-contiguous states also includes U.S. territories and possessions. They added that SHVERA requires satellite TV services to retransmit the analog signals of the TV stations in Puerto Rico, including those licensed to ECN and ETC, by Dec. 8. Digital signals should be carried by Jun 8, 2007, the entities said.
"This mandate does not create a hardship for the satellite carriers as they already carry a few local television stations in Puerto Rico by retransmission consent," they said.
International Broadcasting Corporation, which has television stations in San Juan, Aguadilla and Ponce in Puerto Rico, joined with another Puerto Rico station owner, RyF Television, in asking the FCC to require satellite TV services to carry local broadcasters serving the area.
"In sum, Puerto Rico is a small island with a large population who are limited because of terrain obstacles in their access to local television services," they said. "SHVERA is the vehicle through which these local services can be distributed to all of the island's inhabitants."
http://www.skyreport.com (Used with permission)
Encuentro Christian Network (ECN) and Eastern Television Corporation (ETC) told the FCC that language in the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act (SHVERA) pertaining to non-contiguous states also includes U.S. territories and possessions. They added that SHVERA requires satellite TV services to retransmit the analog signals of the TV stations in Puerto Rico, including those licensed to ECN and ETC, by Dec. 8. Digital signals should be carried by Jun 8, 2007, the entities said.
"This mandate does not create a hardship for the satellite carriers as they already carry a few local television stations in Puerto Rico by retransmission consent," they said.
International Broadcasting Corporation, which has television stations in San Juan, Aguadilla and Ponce in Puerto Rico, joined with another Puerto Rico station owner, RyF Television, in asking the FCC to require satellite TV services to carry local broadcasters serving the area.
"In sum, Puerto Rico is a small island with a large population who are limited because of terrain obstacles in their access to local television services," they said. "SHVERA is the vehicle through which these local services can be distributed to all of the island's inhabitants."
http://www.skyreport.com (Used with permission)