By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 10-26-20
Microsoft has asked the FCC to reverse its decision, made under then-chairman Ajit Pai, to allow broadcaster signals from distributed transmission systems to go “significantly” beyond a station’s current authorized service area as those broadcasters roll out their Next Gen TV broadcast transmission standard.
Microsoft told the FCC in its petition that the Commission should change course from its “unfortunate misstep” and, instead, adopt an “expedited” waiver policy for stations that want to exceed current signal spillover by more than a small amount.
Broadcasters have been squaring off at the FCC with powerful computer companies over the issue of DTS, arrays of smaller antennas that broadcasters want to deploy to expand their coverage. » Read More