Getting the Signals Straight
A few weeks ago I was shocked to find that a couple of our area TV stations were broadcasting PSA's (Public Service Announcements) to the effect that the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) was considering doing away with off the air TV. (The type of TV viewing that is done with an antenna rather than a monthly bill from a cable or satellite vendor.)
I could hardly believe my ears because just last August the FCC required all television broadcasters to switch from analog to digital broadcasting. This transition cost the broadcasters billions and the government even  sponsored a signal converter box program with coupons at a cost that I couldn't even fathom - just so off air TV worked for even more folks that can't afford or don't want cable or satellite. Now - do away with it all?
I have been an engineer, technician and legal researcher for matters involving communications and FCC rules and regulations since the 1950's and this didn't sound right to me. It seemed everywhere I went I heard someone say something to the effect that TV antennas won't work very much longer because everyone will have to have cable or satellite to watch TV. The PSA was encouraging viewers to write to representatives, senators etc. to help "keep free TV free". This was obviously a misunderstanding from the start. So, I decided to contact a representative from the FCC in Washington and see what the real deal was. This is a verbatim copy of the e-mail that was later sent to me by the person with which I spoke:
"Broadcasters say the FCC wants to take away free, over-the-air TV. Is this true?
No, it is not true.  Free, over-the-air television is an important source of news, information and entertainment for many consumers, and the FCC wants to help ensure the continued viability of free, over-the-air television.
However, another product that is increasingly popular with consumers - wireless smart phones and other mobile devices that can access the Internet at higher speeds -- have a growing need for some of the same band of airwaves that television stations use for broadcasts.
The FCC is looking at ways that broadcasters could use their airwaves more efficiently to continue over-the-air TV and other services, while freeing up airwaves to meet the fast-growing demand by consumers for mobile broad band."
So, the deal is that the cable companies are not the villain's here, neither are satellite vendors. The whole thing is being looked at for the benefit of all, including computer users. Personally, I don't think it would be presumptuous of me to add that in twenty to thirty years broadcasting - as we know it - may have evolved to a level that we wouldn't even recognize. For now, however,
don't throw the antenna in the scrap heap just yet!
Sorry, No Dishes Please
Until January 1, 1997, Homeowner Associations could prohibit a homeowner from putting a satellite dish on his roof. With passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, your local HOA is prohibited from enforcing local laws banning, or even delaying mounting of, a satellite dish that is less than 39 inches    (1 meter) in diameter.
What's more, they can't even require you to request permission to put the dish on your roof! And once it's up, they can't make you take it down or even move it unless you have either created a safety hazard (which they have to prove to the FCC) or you live in a historic district (listed in the National Register of Historic Places).
If your HOA is hassling you about a satellite dish you have put on your roof or are planning to put up, here is a chance to fight back with the Federal Government behind you! This is a fight the HOA cannot win.
Actually, any small antenna, round in structure, that is 39" or less in diameter would qualify under this scope. Even an HDTV antenna for free TV.
Homeowner groups never had authority to ban rooftop TV antennas. Radio and Television reception antennas on dwellings have been continuously regulated by the FCC (and it's predecessor the Federal Radio Commission). Any law, ordinance or homeowners association rule has always been preempted by FCC rules and regulations. Those rules have been continuously updated as broadcast technologies have changed.
As directed by Congress in Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Federal Communications Commission adopted the Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule concerning governmental and nongovernmental restrictions on viewers' ability to receive video programming signals from direct broadcast satellites ("DBS"), multichannel multipoint distribution (wireless cable) providers ("MMDS"), and television broadcast stations ("TVBS").
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