NAB urges passage of pro-consumer multicast DTV mandate

The NAB has urged Congress to enact legislation ensuring viewer access to a variety of new local television programming options in the digital TV era.

NAB unveiled results of a new study, www.multicasting.com/documents/BIAEconBenefitsRpt.pdf, demonstrating the financial benefits of multicast DTV carriage by cable systems.

In addition, NAB released a survey, www.multicasting.com/documents/Multicasting_Plans705.ppt#1, finding that 85 percent of TV stations intend to create additional local program streams if pro-multicast DTV legislation is passed by Congress. Types of programming includes:

• local news
• local weather
• local sports
• local public affairs/community affairs programming
• foreign language programming
• coverage of community and political events
• local high school and college programming (sports and non-sports)
• educational/children's programming
• cultural events and local arts/entertainment programming

NAB's survey found that nearly 80 percent of TV stations are unlikely to create multicast local program streams without cable system carriage assurances.

For more information, visit www.nab.org.

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