FCC changes to data services could raise costs for rural areas, commissioner argues

[Judi Lynn]

Source: McClatchy

APRIL 20, 2017 6:53 PM

BY DONOVAN HARRELL
[e-mail]



WASHINGTON -
Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn ripped the FCC’s decisions Thursday to soften regulations on business data services and to reinstate a rule that could increase TV station mergers.

Clyburn, a South Carolina native and Democrat, called the party-line vote on business data services an “all-out assault on America’s small businesses, schools and local economies.”

Business data services connections support rapid data transfers from ATMs and credit-card readers, according to a 2016 President Barack Obama-era proposal to lower prices for these services. The proposal was never approved.

The FCC’s vote marks a victory for large corporations such as Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc., but could harm small businesses and communities.






Read more: http://www.thestate.com/latest-news/article145854674.html#storylink=cpy

[iluvtennis]

1. Just SMDH

[not fooled]

2. Uh, rural-state voters

who went for dump: guess what--this NY thug and fan of oligarchy never gave a rat's ass about you. He sold you a bill of goods during the campaign. You got fleeced by a big-city conman who never really cared at all about rural America. Now you're going to pay the price. And pay. And pay. Unfortunately, so will many others who weren't dimwitted enough to fall for the con.

Condolences on the loss of your little fairy tale.

[mdbl]

3. Don't bother. They are too busy watching Fux nooze and listening to Mush Limpballs

They won't even know what hurt them.

[mwooldri]

4. Until their screens go blank....

People don't realise this yet - there was a reverse auction that ended this past January. TV stations were asked to give up their licenses, to make way for cellular radio space. https://auctiondata.fcc.gov/public/projects/1000/reports/reverse-winning_bids

And now the FCC want to relax ownership rules, huh?

Given that there will be less licenses to go around in less frequency space for broadcast television... IMO not a bright idea.

I'm not sure where WNBC-TV is going to go yet... but since they sold their license (so that T-Mobile can have space) we'll have to hope that they end up as a .2 on another station.... or no more broadcast WNBC. Same for a lot of other stations around the country. Including local Fox affiliates.

[mdbl]

5. They'll just move to their local right wing hate radio station

it's all good! (my point, sarcastically, is you're asking ignorant people to come to realizations of which they are incapable.)

[onenote]

6. WNBC will become the primary station on WNJU's channel

The call sign will be changed to WNBC and the primary signal will be the NBC affiliate. The .2 station will become Telemundo.

And no one will lose either station, NBC gets $214 million and the FCC gets valuable spectrum that can be auctioned for use by wireless service providers, which is increasingly needed.

This is an area in which I work, so I'm not pulling this out of my hat.

[mwooldri]

9. Thanks :)

I didn't think WNBC would go away... I guess ComcastNBCU sold off the NBC signal as it was probably more $$$s than the Telemundo signal. I used to follow things more closely during the digital transition, and I do expect most of the sold stations to continue as .2s on other stations. But the way broadcast media is going, I see 8VSB, DVB-T, DAB, HD Radio, all one way broadcasting going obsolete in favor of other packet broadcast technologies and a basic "public internet" service.

[dalton99a]

7. They can get all the info they need at the local Klan meeting

[dembotoz]

8. rural broadband remains a joke in my state

but i guess trump voters love to be milked and boy will they