Broadcast Flag

A nervous FCC announces game plan for new DTV day Via Law & Disorder Section - Ars Technica :

The Federal Communications Commission on Friday laid out the rules for the remainder of the DTV transition, which will conclude on June 12. To some extent the rules reflect agency jitters about how prepared the country is for the shift. Among other provisions, full power television stations making the digital jump and expecting to lose two percent or more of the population in their old analog reception range must broadcast news about the signal loss."The guiding principle here is simple—consumers deserve to know the truth," interim FCC Chair Michael Copps declared along with the release of the Order. "They will forgive a lot, but they won't forgive being lulled into a false sense that the transition will be less disruptive or less expensive than it turns out to be."
In addition, stations have to disclose if they are switching from the VHF to the UHF bands; they need to advise couch potatoes that new antennas might be needed, in addition to a digital TV or converter box. Many licenses will be making that shift, putting some VHF-only antenna gear out of business.

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