Archive for January, 2009
Meduski Named to WICT Board
With more than 7,800 members, WICT claims to be the oldest and largest professional association serving women in the cable and telecommunications industry.
* As of 1:45 pm CT, Jan. 16, the WICT Web site had not yet been updated to reflect its 2009 slate of directors.
To DTV or Not to DTV
On the Hill: Senator Rockefeller seeks “doable” DTV delay bill, while House Republicans protest a DTV delay.
Over at the FCC: A Republican commissioner scolds the agency’s Republican chairman about a perceived lack of preparation for the fateful day. Money quote:
” … it appears the [FCC's] efforts to date are inadequate. As neither I, nor either of our colleagues, have been consulted in advance or otherwise asked to assist with the task at hand, I cannot be certain regarding the extent of the [FCC's] shortcomings.”
What’s on Tap @ Cable Nets
Another Blow for NFL Network
For our part, Suddenlink remains ready to work with the NFL Network, if the Network will work with us to find a way to make its channel available to those who want it, without charging those who don’t.
VOD Reaches Bryan-College Station
Future launches will be announced as they are confirmed. Please stay tuned.
DTV Deadline Debate Continues
The Wall Street Journal breaks down the differing opinions on delaying the Feb. 17 switch from analog to digital broadcasting.
Certain public safety groups have expressed concerns about a delay. Meanwhile, Broadcasting & Cable — a leading industry trade publication — analyzes why the Feb. 17 “hard date” is being questioned.
Consumer Electronics Show Highlights
Latest DTV Developments
Today, Rep. Ed Markey seems to be resisting the idea, while Sen. Jay Rockefeller seems to be embracing it.
Stay tuned: The debate on this matter is far from over.
Obama Team Seeks DTV Delay
It appears President-elect Obama’s transition team has asked the chairs and ranking members of the key Senate and House committees of jurisdiction to delay the digital broadcast transition, currently slated for Feb. 17. From transition team Co-Chair John Podesta’s letter to those officials:
With (converter-box) coupons unavailable, support and education insufficient, and the most vulnerable Americans exposed, I urge you to consider a change to the legislatively-mandated analog cutoff date.
Congress still has to debate and authorize any such delay — so it’s not a given — but if you’re interested, more details are available via reports filed by the Associated Press and Multichannel News.
Either way, Suddenlink will be ready, and our customers’ TV sets should continue to work just fine.
National DTV Transition Tests Expected Jan. 12
At multiple, variable times throughout that day — for a few minutes each time — participating TV stations around the country are expected to shut off their analog signals and rely solely on their digital signals. These brief tests are all part of the preparations for the permanent cutover to digital broadcasting on Feb. 17.
The vast majority of Suddenlink cable systems are ready for this test and the customers served by those systems should not experience any disruption. A few Suddenlink cable systems may not be ready by Jan. 12, but should be ready within days after it and well before the permanent cutover in mid-February.
Contact us if you’d like to get connected to Suddenlink cable to make sure you’re ready for the Feb. 17 transition. If you’re already a customer but only have some of your TV sets hooked up to our service, you can also contact us to get the remaining sets connected.
