Poll: should DTV laws include "must-carry" provision?
There are several issues pending DTV legislation, but it's a safe bet that we can predict the outcome of most. A hard transition date of early-2009 is highly likely. Some type of subsidies for analog-to-digital converters are almost a "gimme" too. That leaves something very interesting to debate here: a "must-carry" provision for cable and satellite operators to provide local digital channels.
The biggest losers if this isn't part of the law: folks in rural areas that can't receive OTA digital channels. On the other hand, if the provision becomes law cable and satellite companies have to use precious bandwidth to carry these channels. The likely effect: lower quality DTV signals across the board as they squeeze the required programming into the pipe.
With just a few days before the expected DTV legislation proposal details, we want to hear what you have to say. Should the legislation mandate the "must-carry" provision? Is it even constitutional for the government to dictate what programming the cable and satellite industry must carry?
