NAB Argues for Free OTA TV

[Gregg Lengling]

The National Association of Broadcasters continued to argue for over-the-air free TV at the Federal Communications Commission Tuesday, saying in a filing that no TV viewers should be left behind during the switch to digital TV.

The NAB warned against any potential disruption for households that get only over-the-air TV and for cable and satellite TV subscribers who have OTA-only analog sets when analog broadcasting is turned off and TV goes digital. "While we recognize the important demands for the broadcast spectrum to be reclaimed after the transition, we emphasize here the caution that the commission must employ in advancing the conversion to digital and ceasing analog broadcasting," the NAB said.

In its second set of comments on the issue, NAB said a large portion of the 18.9 percent of U.S. households that receive television over the air do so by choice, not because economics dictates it.

The association cited a study from Sinclair Broadcasting in which almost half of respondents indicated they do not subscribe to cable or satellite TV for reasons other than cost. And a survey from the Consumer Electronics Association found that less than 30 percent of households that have chosen not to subscribe to cable or DBS indicate that insufficient funds play a role in their decision not to subscribe.

Many Spanish-speaking viewers choose not to subscribe to cable or satellite TV since these services offer primarily English-language programming, NAB said. And there is a large number of viewers who cannot afford pay television, given that 12 percent of U.S. households fall below the poverty line, the organization said.

"Over-the-air viewers have important, well thought out and legitimate reasons for relying on over-the-air reception, NAB said. "They believe in the value of free, over-the-air television, they do not want to be locked into the ever-increasing costs of pay television service, they view primarily alternative-language programming, they have additional sets that are not hooked up to cable or satellite, among others."