Fcc's Rural Satellite Forum To Be Broadcast Nationwide By Rfd-tv

[Gregg Lengling]

The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) recent Rural Satellite Forum, "Making the Rural Connection," will be broadcast by RFD-TV in a 5-week series beginning Monday, March 1.  RFD-TV is a non-profit 24-hour television network dedicated to serving the needs and interests of rural America.

The forum, held at the FCC headquarters in Washington, DC on January 27,  was part of ongoing FCC efforts intended to explore various technologies being used to serve the communications needs of rural America.

RFD-TV will air the Forum over 5 consecutive weeks, with one-hour, consisting of one complete session, aired each week in the RFD-TV program schedule.  There will be 5 airings of each session, each week, to viewers in all time zones.  All times are Eastern.

Rural Satellite Forum program schedule:

Session #1 – Opening Session and Satellite Overview - Monday, March 1 - 8pm-9pm, Tuesday, March 2 - 2am-3am, 8am-9am, 2pm-3pm, and Sunday, March 7 - 5pm-6pm.

Session #2 – Distance Learning and Telemedicine - Monday, March 8 - 8pm-9pm, followed by same time schedule on Tuesday March 9 through Sunday March 14, as shown above.

Session #3 – Public Safety - Monday, March 15 - 8pm-9pm, followed by same time schedule on Tuesday March 16 through Sunday March 21, as shown above.

Session #4 – Farming and US Department of Agriculture Funding - Monday, March 22 - 8pm-9pm, followed by same time schedule for Tuesday March 23 through Sunday March 28, as shown above.

Final Session – Information, Internet and Mass Media Entertainment - Monday March 29, 8pm-9pm, followed by same time schedule for Tuesday March 30 through Sunday April 4, as shown above.

For more information on the sessions covered by each broadcast, review the Rural Satellite Forum agenda at: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/rural/ruralforum.html#agenda

RFD-TV is on DISH Network channel 9409, DIRECTV channel 379 (with their Multi-Sat dish), Mediacom cable channel 78, and numerous NCTC rural cable systems.  RFD-TV uplinks its signal on G-13, transponder 18, for C-band users.  More information about RFD-TV may be obtained at: http://www.rfd-tv.com/start3.html

The forum featured satellite-based communications systems serving rural areas of the United States.  It included four panels of experts and providers as well as demonstrations and exhibits.  The event highlighted specific consumer applications:

o       Education and Telemedicine;
o       Public Safety;
o       Farming and USDA Funding; and
o       Internet and Mass Media Entertainment.
In addition to the broadcast of the Rural Satellite Forum by RFD-TV, streaming video of the Forum is also available from the FCC Web site at http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/publicforums.html
For information on other FCC activities intended to ensure that consumers in rural areas have access to basic telecommunication services, and to encourage the deployment of advanced telecommunication services in rural communities, visit http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/rural/