TV Viewers Contact FCC on Significantly Viewed

[gor88]

While the proposal has been out only for a few days, consumers are contacting the Federal Communications Commission concerning its work on rules governing satellite delivery of significantly viewed stations.

See the full article here:
http://www.skyreport.com/

[Msguy]

Gor88 I viewed "The List" for the county in Mississippi I live in. Alcorn County Mississippi. As I understand it we (Alcorn County) Residents who have Direc Tv are still going to continue receiving All of the Memphis, Tennessee Local Channels But we aren't going to be getting the Supposed to be "Significantly Viewed" Channels WTVA- Channel 9 and WCBI Channel 4- Columbus for our Local North Mississippi News. I am pretty mad about that. We should be allowed to receive That Tupelo Channel 9 channel. The Local Cable Company here Carries All of Memphis Locals and WTVA Channel 9- Tupelo. Significantly Viewed Won't help me out a bit.

[joblo]

Originally Posted by gor88

While the proposal has been out only for a few days, consumers are contacting the Federal Communications Commission concerning its work on rules governing satellite delivery of significantly viewed stations.

See the full article here:
http://www.skyreport.com/

Is this a great country or what?

Now, you see, JL? Even if the FCC cannot act on the 10,000 comments, the press could pick up the story and run with it. (Because the comments will be a matter of public record.)

And unlike our President, many members of Congress actually read newspapers and could be influenced by the coverage........

[James Long]

Originally Posted by joblo

Now, you see, JL?

Try not to get personal.

If you have to waste the FCC's time to get a message to your congressman it is a shame. The FCC isn't going to fix the problem (other than the normal addition of channels to THE LIST under their existing rules).

JL

[gor88]

Joblo,

It's OK. JL does have a valid point. If nothing else, though, it will indicate to the FCC and, indirectly, Congress that we are interested in this issue.

I plan to notify the local FOX affiliate regarding requesting SV status. The station can provide the proper justification. I now believe that the stations should be contacted regarding this. Some of them may take interest.

[jstrick]

Hello MSGuy, I live in Lee County Just North of Tupelo and agree with you that you should receive Tupelo stations. I do think that with a good antenna you should be able to recielve Tupelo- Columbus stations I used to live in Iuka and could recieve them there very well. I really think that all of North Ms should be able to recielve all of the Memphis stations and Tupelo-Columbus it just makes since. By the way where I live w/ outdoor antenna I can receive the Memphis stations a couple of Tuscaloosa stations and sometimes channel 7 Jackson TN all at least 85 mi from the towers

[Msguy]

Hello JStrick. I took Gor88's advice and e-mailed the Station Engineer at WTVA Channel 9. I e-mailed him asking if there was anything he could do about getting channel 9 here for Alcorn Co. Residents. I don't know if he can do anything. But we need that North Mississippi Channel bad for local News and Weather and such things of the like. Also WBBJ TV Channel 7 in Jackson, Tennessee is on local Comcast Cable in The Corinth and Alcorn County area but I don't think that Jackson, Tennessee Station is on DBS yet. It's a smaller market ABC Affiliate in Jackson, Tennessee.

[jstrick]

Msguy do you know if the spobeams for the Memphis and Tupelo -Columbus stations of North Mississippi I would think so but don't know?

[gor88]

Tupelo-Columbus receives channels from both the Memphis and Nashville spotbeams. In this case, WTVA is on the Memphis spotbeam. For reference, WCBI and WMAE reside on the Nashville spot.

[joblo]

Originally Posted by justalurker

If you have to waste the FCC's time to get a message to your congressman it is a shame.

Indeed, it is. But there's no IQ test to run for Congress.....

[James Long]

Originally Posted by joblo

Indeed, it is. But there's no IQ test to run for Congress.....

There is one. They are elected based on the IQ of those who voted for them.

JL

[Msguy]

Gor88 Knows more about the spotbeam info than i do. I think that Memphis and Tupelo are all on the same spotbeam. Those markets are so close together they overlap. Just a note to Gor88. I e-mailed WTVA's station Engineer and still have heard nothing back and now it is Friday Night. I doubt i will hear anything back from the station till atleast Monday of next week it being the weekend now and all. Maybe That station engineer doesn't know all the details about significantly viewed channels yet?

[gor88]

Memphis and Tupelo were on the same spotbeam initially. However, DirecTV added WPXX PAX50 to the Memphis package. As a result, they had to move at least one Tupelo-Columbus station somewhere. The Nashville spot had three open positions. DirecTV moved WCBI and WMAE to the Nashville spot at that time.

There is now room for one more channel on the Memphis spot. Hopefully, it will be WCBI-DT 35 sub 2, which is UPN MS for Tupelo-Columbus.

[Msguy]

Gor88 What do you think about WCBI CBS4 in Columbus and WTVA Channel 9 NBC coming to my county? Think there is a chance they will be added? What about WLOV?

[gor88]

Msguy,

There may be a possibility for WCBI to be added. I am less certain about WLOV, since it is UHF.

The question I would ask is: Are all these channels currently on the cable systems in Alcorn county? If so, there is a chance. The stations need to be contacted about this. The contact for WLOV and WKDH is the same one for WTVA. That engineer manages all three stations, which sit on the same tower near Woodland, MS.

WCBI's engineer can't be contacted directly. Send an email to comments@wcbi.com and ask who you should speak to about having WCBI added as a significantly viewed station in Alcorn county.

[zman977]

Here's something I've been wondering. I live in La Salle county Illinois, get Chicago locals which are on the main satelite locations and 61.5/148. According to the SV stations list we qualify to get two Peoria stations and one Quad city station. Peoria and the Quad Cities, Moline IL, Davenport IA, Burlington, IA & Rock Island Illinois for those who don't know the Quad Cities, are on the superdish. How does Dish plan to make that work. Am I going to need a superdish to receive the SV stations? Will they charge me to have one installed?

[Msguy]

Gor88 in Alcorn Co. There are 2 Cable Companies. Comcast Cable and North Mississippi Cable. Comcast Cable carries WTVA Channel 9 But Not WCBI. North Mississippi Cable Carries WTVA and WCBI. I'm thinking we'd receive WTVA before we would receive WCBI. Columbus is about an hour further south of Tupelo.

[gor88]

Originally Posted by Msguy

Gor88 in Alcorn Co. There are 2 Cable Companies. Comcast Cable and North Mississippi Cable. Comcast Cable carries WTVA Channel 9 But Not WCBI. North Mississippi Cable Carries WTVA and WCBI. I'm thinking we'd receive WTVA before we would receive WCBI. Columbus is about an hour further south of Tupelo.

That would seem true. However, the WCBI tower is a mere 4 miles east of the tower housing WTVA, WLOV, and WKDH. Since one cable company does carry it, you might be able to convince WCBI to work on getting it added.

[steve594]

Also on the Iuka cable company they receive at least 1 Huntsville station and
possibly a station from Florence, Al that is pretty close by. I do not receive Iuka cable but I use my vacation home at Iuka near Pickwick but in Alcorn Co. so I have
some interest in these stations. This address gets the Distants and I guess would be able to add the Memphis and others if SV goes through and I could afford them.
I would like to receive these additional ones, the 3 Memphis stations would be nice.

[Msguy]

Hello Steve. Recently in my local newspaper i read where Iuka's Cable Company is supposed to be changing hands with new upgrades? I'm guessing they will be switching over to Digital Cable. Like the way Comcast Switched to that in Alcorn County about 2 years ago. It didn't help matters any with reception Especially for the Locals.

[statedogg]

Maybe one of you can shed some hope for me on locals now with the SV element added. In Jackson county ms our local cable carries: CBS 4 WWL New Orleans, NBC WDSU New Orleans, ABC 3 WEAR Pensecola, CBS 5 WKRG Mobile, Fox 10 WALA Mobile, NBC 15 WPMI Mobile, and FOX 25 WXXV Biloxi, and ABC 13 WLOX Biloxi.
All the mobile/pensecola stations are on the FCC's current list of SV in my county. We have no local in local coverage foe either of the biloxi stations, but D* offers all Mobile and New Orleans channels. What would you think our chances of getting the Mobile stations here?

[gor88]

Originally Posted by statedogg

Maybe one of you can shed some hope for me on locals now with the SV element added. In Jackson county ms our local cable carries: CBS 4 WWL New Orleans, NBC WDSU New Orleans, ABC 3 WEAR Pensecola, CBS 5 WKRG Mobile, Fox 10 WALA Mobile, NBC 15 WPMI Mobile, and FOX 25 WXXV Biloxi, and ABC 13 WLOX Biloxi.
All the mobile/pensecola stations are on the FCC's current list of SV in my county. We have no local in local coverage foe either of the biloxi stations, but D* offers all Mobile and New Orleans channels. What would you think our chances of getting the Mobile stations here?

According to the existing list, you will receive 3, 5, 10, and 15 (ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX) for sure. Those will be available for DirecTV to offer.

However, it will depend on whether or not DirecTV will offer significantly viewed stations. Also, I think that the rules mandate that you receive your local channels to get significantly viewed. You might have to wait until the three Biloxi-Gulfport stations are made available.

[Maphisto's Sidekick]

Originally Posted by gor88

While the proposal has been out only for a few days, consumers are contacting the Federal Communications Commission concerning its work on rules governing satellite delivery of significantly viewed stations.

See the full article here:
http://www.skyreport.com/

Poking around the FCC website, it appears that submitted comments are publicly viewable....

...all 18 of them.

[James Long]

Originally Posted by Maphisto's Sidekick

Poking around the FCC website, it appears that submitted comments are publicly viewable....

...all 18 of them.

Yep, they better be viewable. This is a public proceeding.

I wonder how many comments have been improperly filed with no docket number or emailed to the wrong place. I know from prior reports that the FCC gets a lot of response on issues - but unless people know what they are doing those responses become "informal comments" in a footnote.

Now that we are a few weeks in to the comments period hopefully people have calmed down enough from the inital shock to READ the notice and RESPOND to what was written within. For those rational people who want to comment:

Visit http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/
Click on Submit a Filing on the right column
The proceeding is 05-49 (But you would know that if you read the FCC's release - PLEASE read/re-read the FCC's release before commenting if you want to be heard in context.)
Fill out all of the required cover sheet information and attach your comments (if you have them in an uploadable format) OR
Fill out all of the required cover sheet information and type your brief comments in the box provided.

There are some good comments among the 18 properly filed under 05-49 (and some weaker comments too). There is still room for more good comments.

Remember - all properly filed comments will be made PUBLIC!

JL

[George_T]

Originally Posted by justalurker

There are some good comments among the 18 properly filed under 05-49 (and some weaker comments too).JL

Gee, I hope that my comment is one of the good comments in your eyes!