DirecTV Approaches FCC on Local TV, HD Issues

[Gregg Lengling]

In February, representatives with DirecTV met with Federal Communications Commission staff concerning issues associated with continuing carriage of local TV signals, including local HDTV.

In a presentation filed at the FCC, the company said mandating digital must-carry with format and multi-casting obligations - known as full ATSC must-carry - "would dramatically limit DirecTV's ability to continue providing local channel service in the markets where such service is currently offered." DirecTV added that if full ATSC must-carry becomes mandatory, it could deliver local TV service only to one average-sized market.

DirecTV also said in its FCC presentation that HDTV's bandwidth consumption may result in the reduction or elimination of satellite-delivered local TV service if mandatory carriage requires full HD broadcast signal coverage. While digital standard-definition TV typically allows 12 channels per satellite transponder, high-definition would significantly reduce the number of channels allowed on each transponder, the company said.

"HD bandwidth consumption effectively undermines the ability of DBS to provide satellite-delivered local channels on a wide-scale basis," DirecTV said in its presentation.

The comments and meetings at the FCC come on the heels of a debate at the FCC concerning carriage of local HD signals. The effort also is tied to growing efforts at the commission and on Capitol Hill concerning the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act, which is up for renewal in 2004.