WPXE-TV: flash-cutting to digital!!!

[Gilbert]

WPXE-TV 55 will soon be a memory as they are flash-cutting to digital!

WYIN-TV 56 (analog) Gary, IN and WPXE-TV 55 (analog) in Milwaukee have announced agreements to go off the air before 2009, to allow a wireless Internet
company (Qualcomm) to transmit on those frequencies. Although the article
doesn't mention it directly, I bet that new low power on 55 in Chicago is going buh-bye as well.

http://rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=26168

[Joseph S]

And why isn't the FCC selling to Qualcomm directly so we get the money for our airwaves? This is ridiculous.

[LoadStar]

Not that I watch WPXE, but will this have any impact on how Time Warner delivers the station to customers?

[Gilbert]

And why isn't the FCC selling to Qualcomm directly so we get the money for our airwaves? This is ridiculous.

They do indeed! You just can't start broadcasting a high-power Internet service over the air. The FCC, in fact, has been encouraging broadcasters and companies to do this wherever feasible. You better believe the FCC is making a pretty penny on this! It's just that Qualcomm is paying an extra "fee" to broadcast companies to rush things along in Chicago and Milwaukee.

[murdoc]

I'm kind of confused by the article.  What exeactly is Qualcomm offering?  What is one-way internet?  Is this like Verizon's V-Cast or Sprint's streaming video?

[Gilbert]

Not sure. I am sure they'll tell us after 55 shuts down and they start offering their products.  

[Gregg Lengling]

And why isn't the FCC selling to Qualcomm directly so we get the money for our airwaves? This is ridiculous.

Actually they are, all the frequencies above channel 51 are being or have been auctioned off except for some slices set aside for public safety in the 700mhz band.  They are allowed to work deals with the licensees to leave the freqs early to give them access to their spectrum they bought, so the stations are probably being paid off by Qualcomm.