[opendtv] Re: NAB: FCC's Wheeler Piles on Praise for Broadcasting | Broadcasting & Cable

From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2015 01:24:03 +0000

Craig Birkmaier wrote:

The different cellcos have control over the phones they sell. If
they don't want your phones to tune to any hypothetical TV
broadcaster frequencies directly, they will prevent that from
happening.

I do not agree. Obviously there are differences, both in the U.S.
And around the world, in the spectrum used by various carriers.
These differences can be accommodated in a number of ways:

Everyone knows that this behavior is not technically mandatory, Craig. You are
explaining the obvious. But this is how the cellcos in the US behave.

We are emerging from an era where there were significant
differences between carriers, including different RF standards.

Again, this isn't the issue. Here, read this:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmoorhead/2013/12/18/just-because-you-have-lte-doesnt-mean-its-the-best-wireless/

"... Most smartphones and LTE-enabled tablets in the U.S. are locked to one
carrier. The main reason for this is for the carrier to recoup their subsidy,
like that $500 subsidy on a $199 iPhone 5s that really sells unsubsidized for
$699. ..."

They handset manufacturers already do. For example all smartphones
support WiFi,

That part is true, but even there, did you see all the interest from the
cellcos for the new LTE-U? That's femtocells that use UNLICENSED spectrum, such
as the WiFi spectrum. Why all the interest? It's obvious. Because that way, the
cellcos can have people back on their own RF network, while getting the same
benefit as WiFi offload, which is unloading traffic from macrocells. Unload
that traffic, but only to your own revenue-making cells, using unlicensed
spectrum. Clever!

ATSC provides support for far more channels than are needed today.

Partially true. The reason all those channels are offered is to provide choice.
In spite of what you believe, even those new networks have a viewership. Matter
of fact, we had a DSL cable break the last few days (an astonishing 4 days
without phone or Internet, and Verizon evidently thought that was okay), and I
ended up watching those multicasts. Why? Simple. Especially late in the day,
the main .1 channels seem to go to infomercials or other such nonsense. The
multicast channels do not.

So, as long as broadcasters BROADCAST, they need to make that extra choice
available. If they move to LTE broadcast, nothing changes in this regard. It
would make more sense, if broadcasters want to make a meaningful change, to
retain the RF standard they have now, but provide that on demand Internet-based
service they include as part of ATSC 3.0.

Bert

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[opendtv] Re: NAB: FCC's Wheeler Piles on Praise for Broadcasting | Broadcasting & Cable

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