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Message: [QUOTE="FOX TV, post: 54788, member: 4493"]Letter to my CongressmanParts of this letter have been posted in other threads in this forum, but it contains additional text not included in original post_______________________________________________________________Dear Mr. Goodlatte,I spoke to you on this weeks telephone town hall meeting regarding this topic. I am not against new technology that is actually useful, but anyone with any common sense should be able to see that a lot of the broadband uses are nothing more than ridicules fads that are blinding people to the need to keep a real and functioning Emergency Communications system that has the capacity to reach virtually every household in this country in a time of emergency situation such as Hurricane Katrina. How can this be accomplished in an all broadband world? The answer to that is that the current broadband infrastructure is not equipped to function for an extended period of power outages._______________________________________________________________Opinions by__________I am writing this to express my opinions as a broadcast engineer, as I am seriously concerned about all of the threats to our beloved radio spectrum we as TV broadcasters use. I have been giving this issue a lot of thought and have come up with a few ideas that I hope could help educate legislators and the public alike about the benefits of DTV, as well as the continued need for a reliable method of delivering emergency communications to the masses in time of need. If broadcasters can fill that entire 19.36-megabyte channel with new and innovative services, and implement the &#8220;Use it or lose it&#8221; mantra that Amateur Radio has had to implement over the years to keep their spectrum, it would fill unused bandwidth on one hand, and provide other possible revenue streams at the same time. New ideas are needed to help fill the space they will view as unused. As you well know, most broadcasters have taken the "Public Interest" aspect of their &#8220;Privilege to Broadcast in the Public's Interest&#8221; to heart by having some type of emergency reserve power capacity, but the broadband industry has not taken this approach due to the high costs associated with having so many individual sites to equip and maintain, and they are not required to provide any investment in the "Public Interest" aspect for their frequency &#8220;Privilege&#8221;  (Or in their eyes &#8220;Rights&#8221<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" /> as their interest is mainly a financial one, and "Public Interest" regulations do not apply to them.A full Power DTV transmitter can cover literally thousands of square miles, where a Cell Site is lucky to cover 10, square miles at best. I have never looked at coverage for cell sites, but the location and power levels, interference issues, and even regulations limit a cell sites coverage area by their very nature.Cable TV line amplifiers have no reserve power source either, and can cover zero square miles when the power is out, and most satellite and cable TV viewers would have no way to power their satellite or cable receiving equipment anyway. There are now many more models of portable or battery powered DTV receivers being produced with the capability of being powered from small solar panels, rechargeable, or automotive batteries for emergency use.As it stands now, the broadband communications infrastructure has a very serious lack of reserve backup power, and to me that is a major flaw in the overall broadband plan to &#8220;Use the spectrum for better and more efficient uses&#8221;, which is the current excuse being used to steal the DTV spectrum that the broadband industry is in such a mad rush to do right now.It just seems to me that the need (or greed) of the broadband industry is overtaking common sense, and the concept of the &#8220;Publics Interest&#8221; is taking a back seat to &#8220;Fads&#8221; such as Face Book, My space, Twitter, and online video games of all things that are not absolutely necessary to life and limb in times of extreme emergencies.There is currently legislation being considered in the House and Senate right now that parallels the urgent need to keep Broadcast TV for all of the emergency needs mentioned previously. There is a House bill (HR-2160) titled "Amateur Radio Emergency Communications act of 2009" that was introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson from Texas that outlines the need to preserve Amateur Radio for emergency communications needs. The legislation currently has 29 supporters along with a Senate companion bill (S-1755) with the same title proposed by Senator Susan Collins of Maine, and Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut that mirrors the house bill.Its almost a complete parallel of the importance of preserving DTV for the same emergency communications reasons, and give it the same importance level they are giving to Amateur Radio for exactly the same reasons. If this point could be made with these legislators and supporters, it could go a long way in helping the cause of saving DTV as an emergency communications medium if for no other reason. Emergency communications has always always been the reason for TV broadcasting in the first place, with entertainment taking a back seat in times of Emergency Communications situations. So now, the broadband industry will have their way with the under the table payoffs to Congress and Senators as is status quo in Washington DC, and this will have far reaching consequences in times of dire emergencies. Lets don't forget that the "Sand People" still want to wipe us off of the face of the earth. Lets get logical about this and apply the same amount of &#8220;Public Interest Concern&#8221; and emphasis on emergency communications that the FCC has always applied to TV broadcasting since its conception, as that aspect of emergency communications has always ruled where OTA TV broadcasting is concerned.In the past, it has always been the reason broadcasters have been allowed to &#8220;use&#8221; the bandwidth, and they have always taken that role seriously and made real infrastructure investments into ensuring that they could be depended on most all of the time to provide needed emergency communications to masses of people in times of emergency situations. It&#8217;s now time to put the same amount of real emphasis and concern into not losing that communications method in times of dire need.It seems to me that the mission statement of the FCC has changed from protectors of the airwaves to procurers of the dollar, and they have abandoned the concept of &#8220;Public Service&#8221; to the extreme detriment of the general public at large, for the needs, wants, and wishes of the broadband industry. Just what was the purpose of the DTV conversion in the first place? In a free society that is supposedly ruled by &#8220;The People&#8221;, at some point in time the needs of the &#8220;all of the people&#8221; should at least be as important as the needs of a minority of Face Book, My Space, Twitter Tweeters, or broadband video gamers. And we won&#8217;t even go into details about what all of this questionable technology is doing to the social skills of the younger generations.Are the needs of the &#8220;Twitter Tweeters&#8221; really more important than the needs of the &#8220;Minority&#8221; of antenna viewers whose numbers seem to range from 14 to 20 million depending on whose numbers you read? I also believe that these numbers are very inaccurate due to the current economic situation. When the economy is bad, entertainment is normally the first to go, so goodbye Satellite and Cable TV, and hello Antenna TV. Considering this aspect of our times, are the current penetration numbers for OTA viewers really accurate? In an all-broadband world as it exists now, the number of users who will loose urgent emergency communications will climb dramatically above the 14 to 20 million to include almost everyone if the current business model of the broadband industry is adopted, as the current infrastructure model of the broadband system lacks adequate reserve backup power capacity to address extended power outages, unlike most OTA broadcasters, and should not even be considered as plausible or feasible until that issue could be addressed and drastically improved upon. This is our nations, as well as our personal security we are playing with here for the benefit of the &#8220;Twitter Tweeters&#8221;, and broadband profits, and at the expense of our personal and national security.The fact that the broadband industry has no &#8220;Public Service&#8221; obligations to comply with, makes this a drastically important and urgent issue to consider, regardless of the final fate of OTA TV broadcasting. If this flawed concept is implemented to quickly, and without considerable additional thought into all of its potential pitfalls, the results could be fatal for many. Lets hope that real, productive, and fair thought is actually given to this extremely urgent and alarming Public Safety issue, and hope that DTV is not ruled into non existence just for the sake of less important uses such as &#8220;Tweets&#8221; and profits over the actual and critical emergency needs of other spectrum users and owners, and could be considered criminal in some minds.Also at question here is the taking of the radio Spectrum itself which has been designated by the laws of this land as a  &#8220;Limited, and shared Public Resource&#8221;, and use it for private profits at the expense of the very same American Public who is actually supposed to collectively &#8220;Own&#8221; the spectrum as outlined in the laws of this land. &#8220;Just some of my thoughts as a Broadcast Engineer and industry insider on how to help convince the powers that be that Face Book, My Space, and Twitter Tweets (That just sounds so juvenile to me to be laughable) are no more important than the than the needs of the &#8220;Minority&#8221; of antenna viewers whose numbers seem to range from 14 to 20 million, and will surely grow larger in an extended power outage or emergency situation such as Hurricane Katrina in the not adequately prepared, but technologically advanced &#8220;All Broadband&#8221; world of the near future if powers that be get their wish. Is more technology always better? Is it wise to throw away a current proven technology to make way for a system whose pitfalls have already been tested and proven to fail in extreme emergency situations such as 9-11-2001 or Hurricane Katrina?  Is it wise to throw out a technology before all of its benefits have even had a chance to be realized, discovered, or exploited fully before we abruptly move on to a to another untested technology, and then forget the merits of the last one?Technology now has adopted the &#8220;Keep up with the Joneses&#8221; aura about it that may come back to bite society at some point in the future by losing track of &#8220;The Old Ways&#8221; of doing some basic things. If we have learned anything from technology it is that no matter how far it advances, we normally have to look back to the past for some solutions to current issues that new technology itself simply cannot solve on its own. Sometimes ignoring, or forgetting history could have its own unknown, or unforeseen consequences.Current estimates put OTA viewers at around 14 to 20 million, and Isn&#8217;t it strange that we are trying to rebuild our entire health care system at a cost of trillions of dollars for about that same amount of people, but that same amount of people are not considered important enough to be counted in the bandwidth battle? Isn&#8217;t there a great deal of irony here, or is it a complete lack of logic, or should we be &#8220;Following the Money&#8221; for the answer to that question? We all know that this is about the money, and the real and urgent emergency communications needs of this nation as a whole my be in jeopardy just to satisfy the greed for the almighty dollar.Why did the government mandate the switch to digital TV broadcasting at a cost of billions of dollars to broadcasters, only to see it all thrown away less than a year after the transition was completed? Can you say greed, lobbyists, and corruption? I can !!!!Rich Robber Barons and corrupt politicians, and unscrupulous private enterprises make me sick, and that is who is leading the way to stealing the "public's radio spectrum" for obscene profits for  private enterprise. Maybe the broadband industry should be working on a better way to conserve bandwidth than to push everyone aside for the greed of the almighty dollar. This is sickening to those who depend on broadcast TV, and to those who earn their living working inside the industry such as I.If the robber barons are successful, that will show everyone who looks at this at just how far greed can penetrate the minds, hearts and souls of human beings.I guess now that the taxpayer will have to foot the bill for those who cannot afford pay TV just like the converter boxes, with one major difference, and that will be that this will be a never ending tax as opposed to the converter box fiasco which was a one time only proposition.The DTV transition is not over!![/QUOTE]

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