RF Shorts: Other Items of Interest - April 8, 2010

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  • • The FCC has announced that the October 2009 edition of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations is now available from the Government Printing office. The paperback version of Parts 70 to 79, covering broadcasting and cable TV, now costs $93.80. As a reminder, continuously updated FCC rules are available at no cost on-line at ecfr.gpoaccess.gov. Select "Title 47" on the first page to see the FCC regulations.
  • • Verizon and AT&T aren't too happy about the FCC restricting them from using the Harbinger Capital Partners' terrestrial LTE wholesale broadband network I mentioned last week. See LTE Watch: Harbinger Angers AT&T & Verizonon Lightreading.com.
  • • Ars Technica has a very interesting story, complete with historical photos, about AT&T's forgotten plot to hijack the U.S. airwaves. The story concludes that technology might have advanced faster if AT&T had been able to monopolize the spectrum and prevent broadcasters from gaining the political power they have today. The article reflects that "the Bell System's withdrawal from broadcasting left both radio and television in the hands of one technological institution, the licensed broadcast station."

    It further notes that these early station owners quickly developed a powerful political lobby, which worked to block competing platforms, such as CATV, satellite radio, low power FM, and white space broadband.
  • • In a much more favorable take on over-the-air broadcasting from the heart of America, WCFCourier.com reports on Tower power: Antennas for TV reception gaining in popularity.

    "We're throwing up antennas right and left," said Brian Shaw, operations manager at Don's TV Maximum Sound and Sight.

    John Huff, who is general sales manager at NBC affiliate KWWL in Waterloo, Iowa, remarked that he felt this was a new beginning for off-air television.

    "We're here for the communities we serve, and no one pays for that except the advertisers who choose to invest here," said Huff.
Doug Lung
Doug Lung
Contributor

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.