markofmayhem
join:2004-04-08
Pittsburgh, PA
1 edit | said by mikedz4  :I see where areas east of pittsburgh are doing the digital to analog transition soon. When will it begin in the eastern ohio/northern panhandlet of wv markets? Also when will this region get the new dcx or tru2way boxes? Between mid-2009 and 2011 (depending on a few things including higher digital penetration percentages). You are part of the "New Castle-Pittsburgh" system within the greater Pittsburgh region and are behind additions to the "Pittsburgh" system within the greater Pittsburgh region. In other words, "thems be first". The "New Castle-Pittsburgh" system is still under heavy construction and upgrades to serve as an exurb distribution center for the Northern and Western area of the greater Pittsburgh region, isolating Coroapolis to the metro area as it's physical land size is limited to more expansion. Offloading a few of the non-feed tasks to outlaying locations with simple fiber trunks will allow greater services to be offered at lower costs for upgrades in the future (as well as shortened time frames). This was already done by TCI to the Eastern (I believe the name is "Pittsburgh-Monroeville") and Southern (I believe the name is "Pittsburgh-Washington") areas of the greater Pittsburgh region which is why they will reap the benefits before you.
said by mikedz4 :In fact with our state legislators throwing a holy fit over comcast moving channels to digital here from standard cable I wouldn't be surprised if comcast sells west virginia to time warner or suddenlink (more than likely suddenlink since they own the rest of the state besides bluefield and northern west virginia). Not gonna happen, again... Charleston could easily be sold as it's system is more segregated. The Hancock-Brooke run is routed through Wintersville, OH to E. Liverpool, OH and over to the trunk that goes to Coroapolis, PA. Do a traceroute. The first IP is Wintersville, the rest of the names will make sense. This is also why we have Youngstown, OH NBC/CBS on our line + Wheeling/Steubenville CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS and Fox as well as Pittsburgh CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, PBS, and WB. Some of the stations are in the clear and can be picked up with a QAM, others are encrypted and do nothing more than eat up bandwidth. For the profit this area provides and the cost to segregate it to sell, there is no advantage in loosing that amount of money for Comcast to rid itself of a profitable area.
These "stations to digital", it seems I could only find ONE station in question and is approached as a tax-funded issue with viewership as the start of an investigation into terminating the agreement between a private company and public-funded entity due to economic hardship : Link
quote:
Tired of fighting with the cable company? So are some West Virginia lawmakers -- and they're hoping to use the upcoming special legislative session to confront an ongoing conflict with Comcast.
In mid-April -- when Comcast began carrying a digital-only signal for West Virginia Public Broadcasting -- basic-cable customers in the northern part of the state and the panhandles lost access to the station. They could only watch it if they upgraded their cable package or got a digital converter box.
Now, some legislators are asking Gov. Joe Manchin to address the issue in the special session that starts when the Legislature finishes the state budget.
If fewer people can watch WVPBS, the situation could become a budgetary problem because fundraising will drop off, Delegate Barbara Fleischauer told colleagues Thursday. She said pledges account for between 20 percent and 25 percent of the budget for WVPBS.
"We have invested millions in West Virginia Public Broadcasting," said Fleischauer, D-Monongalia. "It's a public policy issue."
She is proposing a bill to require all cable companies that do business in West Virginia to provide basic-cable subscribers with access to WVPBS.
Since the switch, many angry customers have contacted the company and public officials, Fleischauer said.
"We wouldn't have to have legislation if [Comcast] would do the right thing," she said.
The governor recently discussed the issue with Comcast officials, Manchin spokesman Matt Turner said Thursday.
"If they can't make any progress in that regard," Turner said, "then he'll certainly look at putting that on the [special session] call."
The change to how Comcast delivers the WVPBS signal dates back to a 2005 agreement between the Association of Public Television Stations, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and the Public Broadcasting Service. It is not related to the federally mandated digital TV switch.
Comcast spokeswoman Jaye Linnen said the company doesn't plan to change the arrangement.
"The agreement that was decided on by West Virginia Public Broadcasting stations and Comcast was a joint agreement," Linnen said. "We're going stand by that agreement."
Most Comcast customers have digital cable, Linnen said. For those who don't, the company is offering a digital converter box that is free for 12 months
"The majority of Comcast customers throughout West Virginia aren't going to be impacted by this," she said.
But WVPBS Director Dennis Adkins said plenty of viewers seem frustrated -- and station officials are worried about fundraising efforts, he said.
"We started our pledge drive Saturday," he said. "[Comcast basic-cable subscribers] are not even going to see the pledge drive."
State Sen. Mike Oliverio, D-Monongalia, said Comcast "duped" WVPBS. "They got taken advantage of," he said.
Last month, Oliverio called in to a Morgantown radio talk show to confront a Comcast representative, he said.
After that, "they sent lobbyists to my office in Morgantown and tried to convince me that what they were doing was right."
Oliverio said people shouldn't have to pay extra for programming they already support with their tax dollars. He added that customers are charged with shipment costs and other fees associated with the "free" digital converter box Comcast offered.
Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., wrote to the company, saying Comcast was imposing an "unnecessary burden" in hard economic times.
The Morgantown City Council also recently proposed a resolution urging Comcast to restore WVPBS access to basic-cable subscribers at no extra cost.
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