FCC's Acting Chairman Michael Copps wants to be sure consumers are prepared for the transition to digital. He pushed for the delay and was a critic during the Bush administration, arguing that not enough was being done. Copps was also highly critical of the FCC's previous efforts to roll back media ownership restrictions. For many people, Internet competition, shrinking broadcast audiences, and folding newspapers make the case against restrictions that keep one company from owning a newspaper and a broadcast station.
But, when I spoke to Copps today, he said media concentration is still a danger. At the same time, he sees great promise in rolling out broadband to underserved communities and advocates for a nationwide plan. You can watch the complete interview below. (You'll need Flash installed to watch.)
Comments
It is June 12. I live in Bergen, ny and have a top roof antenna. We rescanned for digital stations and only got stations from Buffalo and Rochester. We used to get analog stations from Syracuse and Canada.
The transition to all digital in Canada is 2001, so with the absence of American analog stations, Canadian stations should be coming in the same if not better. They are not coming in at all!
I can't understand how a PBS station channel64Rhode Island change to digital while a good number of it's supporters can't receive the transmision. Rene Racine
This Copps character is another smug bureaucrat that is the greatest misfit chairman of FCC. Why...he mouths syrupy words about converter boxes yet doesn't mention the down side. i.e. converter boxes are a cheap fix...no way does the tuner in any of these cracker jack mass produced gizmos match the integrity, sophistication of even the most common HDTV tuner. Many wolves jumped on the band wagon to mass produce then foist these junk box converters for about $60 retail to the unsuspecting sheep wanting to continue free reception. The problem lies with the unethical politician that knew there was no specs. required to produce these junker boxes. The reception is weak & most stores then sell a power amplifier for $60 along side these $60 weak converter junkers. All reception stinks & nobody including baldy Copps has the ethics to admit the shabby quality. If Copps is such a wonderful character he should have acknowledged this defect of design on your show. In short that everyone is guaranteed to hate the new converter box scamola. There are millions like myself that refuse to buy an HDTV when their old analog TV works fine, & refuse cable or Direct Dish as why should they;because what has traditionally been free now require $$$ to receive?? I live in direct line with So. Cal basin free TV transmission, yet your PBS station comes in crappy with the converter box that unethical politicians forced on us. Copps the knucklehead is no better than the worse of them. Copps needs to get real!