Posted on July 19, 2010 by David Oxenford

FCC Authorizes Mobile DTV Receivers Without Analog Tuners - Further Signals of the End of Analog LPTV, and Raises Questions of Recapture of TV Spectrum for Broadband

Last week, the FCC's Media Bureau granted waivers of the requirement that television tuners be capable of receiving both analog and digital television transmissions, but only with respect to tuners meant for mobile use.  The FCC justified the waivers of the All Channel Receiver Act given the technological constraints that an analog reception chip would put on mobile receivers meant for the reception of the Mobile/Handheld Digital Television Standard (A/153) signals.  This signal is being tested now to allow television broadcasters to provide mobile programming in addition to their current over-the-air broadcast signals - a service planned for commercial roll out at the end of the year.  These waivers, granted in response to requests by Dell and LG Electronics, not only signal the seriousness with which this new service is being regarded, but also provide evidence of the coming end of analog television, now used solely by LPTV stations.   

In considering the waiver, the Commission recognized that the only television stations that would be affected by the lack of an analog tuner were LPTV stations, and no such stations opposed the waiver request.  As one of the waiver proponents noted, analog television signals were not meant for mobile reception, and thus the lack of such a receiver in a mobile device was no big loss.  Moreover, the FCC noted that the digital conversion of LPTV stations has already begun, in that it no longer accepts applications for new analog LPTV stations.  The Commission reiterated that it will soon set a date for the final conversion of the last analog LPTV stations to digital.  Thus, the failure to receive analog would be, at most, a temporary issue.

The order allows mobile receivers to leave out not only the analog tuner, but also a tuner that is capable of receiving normal over-the-air digital television pictures, as long as their is a clear disclosure to consumers that these tuners are not capable of receiving normal analog or digital television programming.  Thus, these will be dedicated devices for the new mobile television service. 

One interesting note is that the success of this service will make it more difficult for the Commission to reclaim television spectrum for broadband use.  The old VHF channels, still used by some television stations, though much less congested than in analog days, are reportedly not very good for mobile use.  Were the Commission to try to take back television spectrum for broadband use, where could they put the TV stations displaced from the reclaimed spectrum, especially if they have successful mobile operations?  Thus, the services which this ruling promotes may help to shape the debate about the broadband recapture. 
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Posted on June 15, 2009 by David Oxenford

Analog Television - Not Dead Yet - Not All LPTV Stations are Digital

Reading the papers and watching the news this weekend, one would think that analog television is a relic of the past - something that we can all soon look back at fondly as a quaint childhood memory, never to be seen again.  Yet all the reports fail to mention that for populations that watch their over-the-air television from TV translators or Low Power TV stations, analog television is still very much a reality, and in some places will be for years until the FCC sets a deadline for the digital conversion of these stations. Many of these stations operate in rural areas or serve minority or other specialized audiences, perhaps explaining the lack of coverage in the mainstream media.  But, given all the publicity that has been accorded to the "completion" of the conversion, some of these populations may well have been confused by the process.  We've writtenabout this issue and how it could have created confusion in smaller markets which have service by both full-power and low power TV stations, here.

The transition of LPTV to digital raises a number of issues - including the ability of these stations to deliver radio-type programming when operating on Channel 6.  As we've written, LPTV stations on Channel 6 have been used to provide radio services, as Channel 6 is immediately adjacent to the FM band and can be picked up on most radio receivers..  However, when the ultimate transition of LPTV to digital is completed, the ability of these stations to provide a radio-type service will probably disappear, as the audio system used by digital television will not be picked up by analog radio receivers. 

As we recently wrote, the FCC has just announced a window during which LPTV stations can file for new digital channels that were made available by the full power conversion between now and June 30.  This is but one more step toward the day when these last analog holdouts will make their transition.  The government is also making available funds to help many of these stations make the transition (see our post here).  We will only wait for the FCC to set the date when that transition will be mandated, and analog television broadcasting will truly be a relic of the past.

UPDATE 6/18/09:  I received a message in response to this post, from someone very involved in the LPTV community, who says that engineers are working on a way to allow the analog audio signal to be embedded in the digital LPTV transmission, so that using LPTV for radio-like services may still be possible after the LPTV digital transition.  It will be interesting to hear any specifics on that proposal as they become available. 
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