Can Comcast scamble a broadcast station?

[scsailor]

[Hopefully this is not too off topic...;-)]

I've been hunting every where including on the FCC site, etc. for a resolution to this problem.

Around the first of this year, Comcast Santa Cruz started scrambling KGO-DTV (local ABC affiliate) on it's cable. This is sad because the repeater down here is too far away to pick up OTA. Before that you could record the HD via cable fine. Now you need a cable card to decode it.

I was under the impression that local broadcast stations are those that qualify as "must carry"? I think Comcast is taking advantage of consumers but I cannot get any response from them ("it must be ABC"), or the station ("It must be Comcast"). And the FCC site says "file all complaints here except cable programming issues which you must direct to your cable operator.")

There's all these new public service announcements now about how Feb next year everyone will need an HD decoder box for their TV's. They should also include the fact that this FCC mandate is also a license for Comcast to screw the consumer!

Anyone heard anything similar or know of who/where I can file a complaint?

Thanks!

[davi323]

Originally Posted by scsailor

This is sad because the repeater down here is too far away to pick up OTA.

It seems to me that this sentence is probably why Comcast CAN scramble it legally. If you can't pick it up OTA, Comcast can say the channel technically isn't "local", therefore they aren't obligated to provide it to you.

[mistergq]

do you get another abc affiliate?

[tbonessc]

That's strange. I'm in Soquel and I get KGO-DT via my HDHomerun.

[scsailor]

tbonessc:
That's strange. I'm in Soquel and I get KGO-DT via my HDHomerun.

Soquel has a different cable provider than Santa Cruz (much better IMHO, and apparently "consumer friendly").

davi323:
It seems to me that this sentence is probably why Comcast CAN scramble it legally. If you can't pick it up OTA, Comcast can say the channel technically isn't "local", therefore they aren't obligated to provide it to you.

Well it technically comes from San Francisco via a repeater in Monterey. The antenna is 59 mi. away so if I put up a really high antenna (probably above FAA restrictions), then I could get it. ;-) But no matter, it is our "local" ABC affliate (they even say in their broadcast "serving Monterey, Salinas, and Santa Cruz".) It's also available in the "basic" cable service so why scramble the DTV and not the standard analog signal?
(Oh yeah, that "let's take advantage where we can get away with it since the FCC is giving us a license to print our own money" mentality. ;-)

mistergq:
do you get another abc affiliate?

Nope that's it. The other "local" ABC station defected to NBC when the SF NBC station when "unaffliated". Very incestuous relationship down here, like the FOX and CBS stations are owned by the same company, though FOX carries 5.1 audio while the CBS station still has 2ch stereo... ?

I'm so annoyed with the cable company that I'm actually thinking seriously of setting up a SageTV server over in the valley at a friend's house where there's way more channels available OTA. [I mean think about this: when the power goes out, you aren't paying for service and they quickly get it restored. If the cable goes out, they don't care, they are still are collecting their fees.]

But even more annoying is that the FCC is mandating this change but seemingly are oblivious to consumer complaints. I wonder if the Cal. PUC is interested?

Thanks for the replies...!

[NEOSG]

I would check out the Local HD forum for your area over at avsforum and see wha others have to say over there. May or may not help

[sleonard]

It's also available in the "basic" cable service so why scramble the DTV and not the standard analog signal?

They are only required to carry the basic analog channel unscrambled. As long as that is available thru their cable service then then can do whatever they want with the digital versions.

Only if they were to stop carrying the basic analog versions would they be required to have digital versions of locals in the clear.

Scott

[tbonessc]

Soquel has a different cable provider than Santa Cruz (much better IMHO, and apparently "consumer friendly").

Are you sure? I have Comcast.

[PLUCKYHD]

Not true they are required to carry the local HDTV unscambled as well not just the analog I would file complaint with the FCC.

[sleonard]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

Not true they are required to carry the local HDTV unscambled as well not just the analog I would file complaint with the FCC.

Here's the original post.
S

[scsailor]

Originally Posted by NEOSG

I would check out the Local HD forum for your area over at avsforum and see wha others have to say over there. May or may not help

Thanks, I'll check that out!

Thanks for the other replies as well. I would file a complaint with the FCC if I could figure out where to send it. ;-)

Cheers.