Technology360

Public television disintermediation | #pubmedia

Howard Blumenthal, CEO of MiND: Media Independence in Philadelphia, circulated the following “efficiency chart” among some public television CEOs today.  I thought it was worth sharing and am posting it here with Howard’s kind permission.  --Dennis

Howard writes:

Please allow me to explain the chart…

1. As we all know too well, one of the key media trends has been "disintermediation." We now buy music from musicians, so record labels, record distributors and record stores no longer control the music business; same for many other media. And so, the top chart, with just "You Tube" in the distribution path, is a disintermediated model. Replace YouTube with any single system or distribution brand. Disintermediation is efficient, mostly because it eliminates "middlemen."

2. It would be difficult to find a media model that's more intermediated than public television. That's the second model, filled with entities and brands and expenses that each require staff, technology, handling, priority in the eyes of the viewer, and more.

As we contemplate the future of public media, and the role of the stations in that future, we must seriously consider the model that we have built. It's clunky, costly, challenging to innovators, and ultimately, adds only marginal value to the consumer who wants to watch, say, Antiques Roadshow. If the brand is "pre-school children's programming," perhaps several program brands (Curious George, Sesame Street) can be clustered under a master brand. Unfortunately, we've got a whole lot more than just two brands happening in the second model.

If we're going to succeed long-term, we need to face this challenge. Otherwise, other, more efficient models will take the place of our well-established institutions.

Enjoy the chart. If you want to discuss, I'm available.

AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile more about market share/pricing than spectrum

Yesterday’s surprising (maybe) announcement of AT&T’s acquisition (pending regulatory approval) of T-Mobile is being billed as a spectrum play for 4G, a move in response to the U.S. Administration’s goal of covering America with wireless broadband.  See the Wall Street Journal’s interview with Kevin Werbach for a perspective on this.

However, one analyst says that 70%-90% of AT&T’s current spectrum currently sits unused.  AT&T acquired two nationwide aggregations of spectrum that lie mostly unused for roughly one-twentieth of the price they paid for T-Mobile.  Interestingly, this (the 1/20th figure) is what the NTIA and CEA said in a recent white paper that broadcasters would need to be paid to clear enough spectrum to meet FCC goals.

You pay a 20-fold premium over bare spectrum because this spectrum – all of which they won’t use – comes with customers and this new customer base will make them the largest wireless provider (they and Verizon will control 70%).  So this is really about that market share and the control over pricing this will give them.

In addition to the links above, also see Om Malik’s, What AT&T and T-Mobile Merger Means for Innovation.  --Dennis

Preparing for Unbundled Television [@terryheaton, #pubmedia]

Terry Heaton is a consultant primarily to commercial television who in my view has a great track record of anticipating disruptive change for broadcasters and recommending responsive strategies.  His latest essay  titled above is right on, for both commercial and public television.

Terry writes:

Unbundled television is the polar opposite of the broadcast model, and media companies aren't prepared whatsoever to compete in this new universe. Everything that we know, everything that we practice, everything that we believe in is tied to that which bundles the content we create or distribute to the infrastructure that's doing the distributing. Separate the two, and we are fish out of water, flopping helplessly on the dock of user demand.

Don’t miss this essay, especially his eight recommendations.  The only one I’d amend is the 7th on RSS, to which I’d add API distribution.

Link:  Local Media in a Postmodern World.  --Dennis

Stephen Hill: Six steps to a user-supported #pubmedia system

The following quotes from a dear colleagues email sent by Hearts of Space producer, Stephen Hill, earlier today.  See also this related post.  --Dennis

SIX STEPS TO A USER-SUPPORTED PUBLIC MEDIA SYSTEM

FOR STAKEHOLDERS
1. Re-define the role and identity of stations as "locally-focused public media network nodes."

2. Extend the Public Media Platform to every station web site as a matter of system policy, so all public media content is available at every point of entry to the network. This can be as elegant as a single Public Media Player on mobiles or the web, or a full service embedded "site-within-a-site."

3. Re-align the financial relationships and incentives between networks, stations, content producers and affiliates so everyone has a stake in the success of the network as a whole.

4. Define a practical set of revenue-sharing policies between stations, networks, producers and affiliates. (For example: ultimately stations might not pay dues and program fees to NPR, but receive a net revenue share from it.)

FOR THE PUBLIC
5. Create a comprehensive set of free, voluntary and paid digital service models for the public as a means of attracting significant new revenue for the system.

6. Create a national Public Media Network membership for end users, with multiple tiers of service and access to premium digital services and archival content as benefits of paid membership.

Funding the future of #pubmedia - a new proposal from Stephen Hill

Stephen Hill, whose Hearts of Space program is familiar to public radio listeners, is out with a new proposal for funding public media.  Stephen has built a successful online and radio business in a "niche of a niche" and has learned a lot along the way about content economics.  This is a long document but well worth your time to read and discuss.

The following quotes from an email he sent out today:

Colleagues:

I've posted the paper I've been working on since June 2010 to my blog and sent a text version to the Pubradio list. (The list appears to be down at the moment due to a hosting change, but it should show up soon.)

The ideas I'm advancing in this paper for reform of the business and service models of public media have taken on added relevance in recent weeks, and have convinced me that now is the time to go public with it. It is very strange to find myself ready to agree to phasing out Federal funding, but for the radically different reasons than those who are pursuing a partisan political agenda. I am convinced that

If public media is to secure its future, it must be with the public.

You may have received a draft in the past. I've revised the paper substantially, and I hope the attacks on public media will encourage you to reconsider it in the light of the challenges we face. Frankly, it's a long and demanding read, but there is nothing like being threatened to focus the mind.

I solicit your comments and criticism. Please email me links to any blog or public forum in which you post responses.

Web version:  http://heartsofspace.typepad.com/spatialrelations/2011/03/funding-the-future-of-public-media.html [or http://tinyurl.com/66xmrhu]

Printable PDF: Funding the Future of Public Media.pdf

Regards :: SH

--Dennis

TV broadcasters should follow Cord Cutters

Om Malik’s video site, NewTeeVee, has a new online video series called Cord Cutters – news and tips for people who are learning to live without cable or satellite – off air and internet TV only.  You can find it at the link above or follow it on Twitter at @cordcutters or @newteevee.  Cable and satellite subs are down just a bit for the first time so maybe this trend is gaining some weight.  --Dennis

HDTV production tools evolving and more accessible

We learned this month that the Coen Brothers used what’s historically been Apple’s consumer video editing software – Final Cut Pro – to edit True Grit.  The make of DSLR camera that I use, Canon’s “prosumer” EOS 5D Mark II, has been used for shooting professional 1080p HD (see Luminère example as well as at least three television seasons of Fox’s House, BBC Two’s Shelfstackers and BBC Four’s Road to Coronation Street).  A new version of Final Cut Pro is expected this Spring with major enhancements (link: TechCrunch).

Production capital and human costs for television are arguably making the industry non-competitive, as Michael Rosenblum has evangelized,  so this can’t help being a healthy trend.  Of course, in the end, it’s about both costs and culture.  --Dennis

My Jan. 2011 media econ and tech tweets #pubmedia

Recently, I’ve found myself tweeting more from @haarsager and blogging less.  Most of the tweeting has the same media economics and technology content as I normally put in the blog, so thought I’d share them here.  So I invite you to scan my January tweets (those off topic have been deleted for length) for some interesting and, in some cases, important links.  --Dennis

gleonhard “Content is no longer king. Its throne has been taken by experience” http://instapaper.com/zRx3x612B a snippet from Midem 2011 about 4 hours ago via Instapaper Retweeted by haarsager and 7 others

Metering data: RT @jamescridland Canada's threat to internet radio: http://j.mp/fq1JdE about 4 hours ago via Twitterrific

garfors 2.2 million mobile phones are sold every year in Norway. But why doesn't consumerism apply to digital radio? http://gd.is/tH5P about 6 hours ago via web Retweeted by haarsager

Cuts to world svc & online a retreat to UK shores RT @dominiccampbell Why the BBC's old guard called time on [www] http://gu.com/p/2myfp/ip about 5 hours ago via Twitterrific

Addressing the declining value of search http://dlvr.it/FQHcw about 24 hours ago via dlvr.it

davezatz Amazon set to take on Netflix & Hulu with unlimited streaming tier? http://zatz.tv/gmOE0G 5:35 AM Jan 30th via bitly Retweeted by haarsager and 7 others

Congrats! RT @jsnell PBS for iPad has just passed Macworld Daily Reader as the top free iPad app. Thanks to everyone ...! #pubmedia 3:47 PM Jan 29th via Twitterrific

BusinessWeek on Netflix and premium cable's "worst nightmare" http://bit.ly/aGw8Af 5:01 AM Jan 28th via Twitterrific

PBSMediaShift Study: 86% of people use mobile devices while watching TV http://j.mp/fQLJbA via @djfom 5:03 PM Jan 27th via Measured Voice Retweeted by haarsager and 6 others

RWW ReadWriteEnterprise: Video in the Enterprise is Not What Most Workers Want http://rww.to/dKApUI 4:36 PM Jan 27th via Tools Plugin for Movable Type Retweeted by haarsager and 9 others

VideoNuzeNews Hulu Reworks Its Script as Digital Change Hits TV: http://on.wsj.com/fHeTGH 7:57 AM Jan 27th via twitterfeed Retweeted by haarsager

iwantmedia Netflix now No 2 U.S. video subscription company; could surpass Comcast by mid-2011 http://lat.ms/i2odLP 7:05 AM Jan 27th via web Retweeted by haarsager

RT @lostremote Netflix says its accelerating growth is just getting started. Some impressive (and surprising) numbers: http://bit.ly/ijjtvW 4:30 AM Jan 27th via Twitterrific

fnjacobs Old media meets new media. And maybe, just maybe, it works. www.jacobsmedia.com/blog 6:32 AM Jan 26th via TweetDeck Retweeted by haarsager

jamescridland I've been interviewed: my thoughts on the future of radio, and my cereal box free gift... http://t.co/QIdjGlU 1:09 AM Jan 26th via Twitter for Android Retweeted by haarsager

RT @garfors Telenor, Norways biggest telco and ISP, to charge media companies for data traffic. How to solve it: http://gd.is/F9DK ... 5:58 AM Jan 26th via Twitterrific

Forrester analyst: RT @paidContent “As Things Stand Now, Digital Music Has Failed" http://ow.ly/3Kake #pcbuzz 4:45 PM Jan 25th via Twitterrific

RT @KPav A thoughtful case for public media funding from John Diaz: http://bit.ly/ezXfGm | #pubmedia 12:31 PM Jan 24th via Twitterrific

RT @romenesko BBC to cut 200 of its websites, eliminate 360 jobs over the next two years. http://journ.us/eKw9L7 | #pubmedia 8:03 AM Jan 24th via Twitterrific

RT @fnjacobs The challenge of adapting to new media as illustrated passionately in #KingsSpeech http://bit.ly/52enB2 | #pubmedia 8:03 AM Jan 24th via Twitterrific

Way-cool The History of Jazz iPad app is best #pubmedia new platform content yet, but comes from tiny 955 Dreams http://ow.ly/3IFl6. 12:06 PM Jan 23rd via web

RT @markramseymedia Broadcasters understand Audiences, not Communities... - What's the diff ... http://tinyurl.com/4hgfdlq #pubmedia 9:19 AM Jan 23rd via Twitterrific

tomwhiteindc Variety: Pubcasters on the Ropes http://ow.ly/3IpkX #pubmedia 12:15 PM Jan 22nd via HootSuite Retweeted by haarsager

NewTeeVee Cord Cutters Survival Stories: Netflix Changed Everything http://dlvr.it/DrWsC 3:39 AM Jan 22nd via dlvr.it Retweeted by haarsager and 1 other

Must read: RT @stevegillmor A VC: Monetizing Mobile Audio: http://me.lt/6Y89O 9:13 PM Jan 20th via Twitterrific

RT @dsearls KDFC wounded, @KUSF killed (almost): http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/?p=3651 #radio #VRM ... #pubmedia 10:13 PM Jan 19th via Twitterrific

RT @artcny Classical Powerhouse KDFC Sold to USC http://t.co/JLcbpQa via @sfgate #pubmedia 10:27 PM Jan 18th via Twitterrific

TerryHeaton My friend Holly on canceling Hulu Plus: "They can have my time or my money, not both!" Clarion call for all media, circa 2011. 11:43 AM Jan 18th via TweetDeck Retweeted by haarsager

timjeby Excellent piece from @fnjacobs on HD Radio and the CES - Must Read for those in radio : http://bit.ly/erzInR 10:11 AM Jan 18th via web from Bellerive, Bellerive Retweeted by haarsager

Make that all users, counting apps phoning home your use RT @RWW U.S. Announces 120,000 iPad Users Had Data Stolen http://rww.to/ffC0WO 1:00 PM Jan 18th via Twitterrific

Pareto's Law at work: RT @mocoNews Video Is 40% Of All Mobile Traffic, But Most Of Us Don't Watch It http://cnt.to/nkk 12:56 PM Jan 18th via Twitterrific

paidContent Exclusive: Roku Lands Its First Cable Channel http://cnt.to/njN 6:48 PM Jan 17th via ContentNext Retweeted by haarsager and 4 others

rafat Spotify seems to be scoring ego points about launching in U.S., not about doing what's best to grow, for its investors AND current users. 2:44 PM Jan 17th via Seesmic Web Retweeted by haarsager

rafat Is Spotify focused on wrong priorities? I would humbly posit, yes. Focus on building & scaling service rest-of-world. http://cnt.to/njo 2:39 PM Jan 17th via Seesmic Web Retweeted by haarsager

Great to see convening role of public radio (BBC) in The King's Speech. True, it was 70+ years ago. #pubmedia 8:22 AM Jan 17th via Twitterrific

TimOlsonSF Searching for the Future of Television  - MIT Tech Review on Google TV http://bit.ly/giRHH6 12:32 PM Jan 15th via bitly Retweeted by haarsager and 2 others

@bairdmedia Feb 6 is the Super Bowl - only fb game I watch all year 6:28 AM Jan 15th via Twitterrific in reply to bairdmedia

dangillmor latest evidence why newspapers are insane to put so many eggs in Apple basket http://on.mash.to/hcm1oj 9:21 PM Jan 14th via Seesmic for Android Retweeted by haarsager and 15 others

Quit cable this week & have been reminded how much better HD is OTA - get yourself an antenna before Feb 6th 10:55 PM Jan 14th via Twitterrific

jamescridland Mobile data caps are different in the UK and US: here's why no-one's worrying in the states about streaming radio: http://j.mp/gQ4nGa 2:51 PM Jan 14th via TweetDeck Retweeted by haarsager and 1 other

stevegillmor Ship or Get Off the Pot http://bit.ly/ebs6NK 9:28 PM Jan 13th via TypePad Retweeted by haarsager and 8 others

RT @romenesko PBS not having weekend news reports seems like "an abdication of duty," says ombud. http://journ.us/fu0NX4 #pubmedia 8:07 PM Jan 13th via Twitterrific

jamescridland My answer on Quora to: How can we bring radio, and the spoken word into the 21st century? http://qr.ae/s0ff 2:11 PM Jan 13th via Quora Retweeted by haarsager and 5 others

Mobile > HughesNet FAP RT @Pogue ... The unlimited-data, $40/month Virgin MiFi...will now slow down your connx if you exceed 5GB in a month. 1:06 PM Jan 13th via Twitterrific

iwantmedia CBS may face profit threat from Pandora as Internet radio service pushes into drive-time radio http://bit.ly/g5nDjp 10:21 AM Jan 13th via web Retweeted by haarsager

VideoNuzeNews Study: LTE Can Knock Out Cable TV: http://bit.ly/gjOjsR 7:08 PM Jan 12th via twitterfeed Retweeted by haarsager

jamescridland What a 500MB fair-use policy means for radio: http://j.mp/gdmByV 7:05 PM Jan 12th via TweetDeck Retweeted by haarsager and 4 others

Good advice RT @kulpreetsingh I asked @Scobleizer (Robert Scoble) about his #Canon 5D Mark II #DSLR camera. His response: http://qr.ae/sG9z 5:59 AM Jan 12th via Twitterrific

Good call. RT @Gartenberg Was tempted to use Foursquare. Fortunately the moment passed. 8:07 PM Jan 10th via Twitterrific

@fnjacobs Yes, it's true. But attending CES would spoil the fun of denial. 3:34 PM Jan 10th via TweetDeck in reply to fnjacobs

RT @fnjacobs: What happened at #CES & why radio should care. http://bit.ly/52enB2 - #pubmedia 3:11 PM Jan 10th via TweetDeck

RAINtwitter Take a 'test drive' of new in-car Net radio systems from Toyota, Mini http://bit.ly/81Ld5H 1:26 PM Jan 10th via Tweetie for Mac Retweeted by haarsager

markramseymedia The Most Important Takeaway for Broadcasters from CES via Mark Ramsey Media LLC - I'm struck by reading the ... http://tinyurl.com/4ea2rrc 12:36 PM Jan 10th via FeedBlitz Retweeted by haarsager

markramseymedia Pandora: "we want to be in every single car, on every single phone" http://fb.me/QwsYbUgY 12:34 PM Jan 10th via Facebook Retweeted by haarsager and 2 others

fnjacobs Where was broadcast radio at #CES? Optimism, excitement, & buzz was all over this Vegas convention. http://bit.ly/52enB2 12:21 PM Jan 10th via TweetDeck Retweeted by haarsager and 3 others

Congrats to Integrated Media Ass'n on its "re-energization" and new http://www.integratedmedia.org/ site - we need that energy! #pubmedia 12:11 PM Jan 10th via web

videomarketnews Twenty television predictions for 2011 http://bit.ly/eVBzrm 4:45 PM Jan 9th via twitterfeed Retweeted by haarsager and 2 others

jeffjarvis WSJ says Verizon will bring unlimited data back to the iPhone. Competition works. Why we need more of it. http://on.wsj.com/dWGln9 4:07 PM Jan 9th via Echofon Retweeted by haarsager and 34 others

Rosenblumtv Report from the CES: Internet TV has arrived - and it's going to be a different experience http://bit.ly/giUbBx 7:30 AM Jan 9th via TweetDeck Retweeted by haarsager

mocoNews @ CES: Genachowski: Spectrum Crunch Crippling Wireless http://cnt.to/nfJ 6:38 PM Jan 7th via ContentNext Retweeted by haarsager

RT @xpangler CES: Genachowski: More TV Spectrum Could Be Reclaimed Within Two Years - Multichannel News http://t.co/pElOQsE #CES 9:47 PM Jan 7th via Twitterrific

tomwhiteindc KCET-TV's ratings plunge 50% in first week after PBS exit http://t.co/sxseM3x #pubmedia 6:28 PM Jan 7th via Tweet Button Retweeted by haarsager and 3 others

RAINtwitter TONS of Internet radio news coming out of CES. We continue our roundup today http://bit.ly/rain010611 1:05 PM Jan 6th via web Retweeted by haarsager

TVTechnology The pleasant surprise of mobile TV http://ow.ly/3zt3q 12:46 PM Jan 6th via HootSuite Retweeted by haarsager

tomwhiteindc Mobile DTV Shines at CES 2011, by Doug Lung http://t.co/4o1MTVY #mobile #television 12:34 PM Jan 6th via Tweet Button Retweeted by haarsager

umairh The New (New) Mediaconomy http://bit.ly/etIroi 11:55 AM Jan 6th via TweetDeck Retweeted by haarsager and 6 others

xpangler CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro: Television broadcasters are “squatting on our broadband future” by not releasing spectrum #CES 11:56 AM Jan 6th via web Retweeted by haarsager and 1 other

TimOlsonSF Cisco’s Videoscape: Ready to Reinvent TV? http://t.co/vePDQLU 10:03 AM Jan 6th via Tweet Button Retweeted by haarsager

Radioheads: if you read just one... RT @fnjacobs How Pandora is rewriting the rules of radio. And making it work. http://bit.ly/52enB2 12:09 PM Jan 6th via Twitterrific

TVTechnology Pocket Peripheral Streams Mobile DTV to Smart Phones http://ow.ly/3zh3W 8:15 AM Jan 6th via HootSuite Retweeted by haarsager

waltmossberg In 4G Race, Verizon's LTE is super-fast, but could be costly. My review: http://t.co/fhE9ZR2 12:59 AM Jan 6th via Tweet Button Retweeted by haarsager and 24 others

davezatz Pandora coming to MINI Cooper dashboards. Me want! http://zatz.tv/em5JOw 4:15 PM Jan 5th via bitly Retweeted by haarsager and 2 others

shelly_palmer With over 250 Netflix-ready devices available, it's no surprise manufacturers are adding a Netflix button to remotes http://bit.ly/fVvJPu 3:44 PM Jan 5th via bitly Retweeted by haarsager

arstechnica AT&T to flip switch on 4G LTE network by mid-2011: http://arst.ch/nq9 by @ericbangeman 3:21 PM Jan 5th via Tweetie for Mac Retweeted by haarsager and 19 others

ecjacobs If you needed another argument for why #pubmedia needs to take the web seriously http://pewrsr.ch/fk6oQJ 3:01 PM Jan 5th via HootSuite Retweeted by haarsager and 2 others

RAINtwitter New BMW/AT&T deal would bring Internet to car dash w/o tethered smartphone -- seamless Net radio! http://bit.ly/rain010511 1:08 PM Jan 5th via web Retweeted by haarsager and 1 other

RAINtwitter We run down some of the big Net radio-related CES announcements -- lots of "in-car" radio http://bit.ly/rain010511 12:54 PM Jan 5th via web Retweeted by haarsager

RAINtwitter Lots of Net radio developments at CES http://bit.ly/rain010511 12:46 PM Jan 5th via web Retweeted by haarsager

mocoNews In all there will be 20 4G devices launched by AT&T in 2011. #mnbuzz 12:42 PM Jan 5th via web Retweeted by haarsager

mocoNews AT&T playing catchup to Verizon, others on LTE: starting roll-out in the middle of this year. Devices from HTC, Motorola. #mnbuzz 12:33 PM Jan 5th via web Retweeted by haarsager

RWW CES 2011: Mobile DTV Coming to an iPhone, iPad Near You http://rww.to/dHYDbW 9:47 PM Jan 4th via Tools Plugin for Movable Type Retweeted by haarsager and 17 others

RT @RAINtwitter: Mercedes, Nokia partner to put Net radio in 2012 C-class cars http://bit.ly/rain010311 4:44 PM Jan 3rd via ÜberTwitter

RT @Kimpflinger: 11 trends for mobile apps in 2011 http://ht.ly/3qhzU 4:41 PM Jan 3rd via ÜberTwitter

RT @RWW: A Milestone for BitTorrent: 100 Million Monthly Active Users http://rww.to/fhqaG3 4:30 PM Jan 3rd via ÜberTwitter

RT @NewTeeVee: Intel Moves DRM Into Chips For PC Streaming http://dlvr.it/CbbR9 4:25 PM Jan 3rd via ÜberTwitter

RT @BoingBoing Groovy 1977 PBS signoff clip (Athens, Ohio) http://bit.ly/gBTRYS #pubmedia 5:08 AM Jan 3rd via Twitterrific

davewiner To people who are concerned about RSS-in-the-browser, Mozilla and Chrome are open source. Let's fork one of them and make it *great* at RSS. 5:06 PM Jan 2nd via web from Civic Center, New York Retweeted by haarsager and 7 others

stevegillmor RT @photomatt: RSS Is Dying, and You Should Be Very Worried http://bit.ly/huXeZq >> cough 4:47 PM Jan 2nd via news.me Retweeted by haarsager and 38 others

TimOlsonSF Online Newspaper Readers Habits: 2% mobile, 97% PC, 1% iPad: http://on.wsj.com/dD4AwX 3:08 PM Jan 2nd via web Retweeted by haarsager and 1 other

NewTeeVee Cord Cutters Survival Stories: It’s All About Value http://dlvr.it/CW024 3:03 AM Jan 2nd via dlvr.it Retweeted by haarsager and 1 other

RT @nickhalstead Why the iPad is Destroying the Future of Journalism http://retwt.me/1Qolc 6:42 AM Jan 1st via Twitterrific

Innovation in the broadcast television bands

Last Tuesday, the FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Link: FCC 10-196) with the title above.  Here is the Introduction, with some highlighting and a link added.

1. In this Notice, we initiate a process to further our ongoing commitment to addressing America’s growing demand for wireless broadband services, spur ongoing innovation and investment in mobile and ensure that America keeps pace with the global wireless revolution, by making a significant amount of new spectrum available for broadband. Through this Notice, we take preliminary steps to enable the repurposing of a portion of the UHF and VHF frequency bands that are currently used by the broadcast television service, which in later actions we expect to make available for flexible use by fixed and mobile wireless communications services, including mobile broadband. At the same time, we recognize that over-the-air TV serves important public interests, and our approach will help preserve this service as a healthy, viable medium. The approach we are proposing is consistent with the goal set forth in the National Broadband Plan (the “Plan”) to repurpose up to 120 megahertz from the broadcast television bands for new wireless broadband uses through, in part, voluntary contributions of spectrum to an incentive auction. Reallocation of this spectrum as proposed will provide the necessary flexibility for meeting the requirements of these new applications.

2. The specific bands under consideration are the low VHF spectrum at 54-72 MHz (TV channels 2-4) and 76-88 MHz (TV channels 5 and 6), the high VHF spectrum at 174-216 MHz (TV channels 7-13), and the UHF bands at 470-608 MHz (TV channels 14-36) and 614-698 MHz (TV channels 38-51); for purposes of this Notice, we will refer to this spectrum as the “U/V Bands.” This Notice proposes three actions that will establish the underlying regulatory framework to facilitate wireless broadband uses of the U/V Bands, while maintaining current license assignments in the band. First, we are proposing to add new allocations for fixed and mobile services in the U/V Bands to be co-primary with the existing broadcasting allocation in those bands. The additional allocations would provide the maximum flexibility for planning efforts to increase spectrum available for flexible use, including the possibility of assigning portions of the U/V Bands for new mobile broadband services in the future.  Second, we are proposing to establish a framework that, for the first time, permits two or more television stations to share a single six-megahertz channel, thereby fostering efficient use of the U/V Bands. Third, we intend to consider approaches to improve service for television viewers and create additional value for broadcasters by increasing the utility of the VHF bands for the operation of television services.

3. By taking these important steps to facilitate wireless broadband uses in the U/V Bands, this Notice is the first in a series of actions that will allow us to make progress toward our goal of improving efficient use of the bands and enable ongoing innovation and investment through flexible use. We intend to propose further actions consistent with other of the Plan’s recommendations for the U/V Bands, including, but not limited to, the process of voluntarily returning broadcast licenses to the Commission and the licensing process and service rules for new fixed and mobile wireless communications services.  As part of that process, the Commission will address the Plan’s proposal for channel re-packing, the band plan for recovered spectrum and other related issues and will provide full opportunity for public comment on those issues at that time.

Doug Lung has an analysis of the NPRM in TV Technology. 

Update:   So does Harry Jessel in TVNewsCheck.  --Dennis

Mobile Content Venture set to launch mobile DTV video in 20 DMAs in 2011

Twelve broadcast groups (Fox, ION, NBC, Belo, Cox, Scripps, Gannett, Hearst, Media General, Meredith, Post-Newsweek, and Raycom) have announced plans to roll out at least two broadcast stations offering mobile DTV (ATSC M/H) in 20 DMAs in 2011.  They say that 40% of the U.S. population will be covered. 

Now, all they have to do is convince the consumer electronic industry to manufacture more than the very few devices available or nearly so and, of course, convince consumers that they want this enough to carry another gadget -- and do this while hoping no one notices the bad start that FLO TV had.

Here is the coverage and commentary:

Wayne Friedman in MediaDailyNews.
Susana Schwartz in Connected Planet.
Steve Smith in MediaPost.
Ray Willington in Hot Hardware.
TV Technology.

--Dennis