[mythtv-users] Damn you Time Warner

[R. G. Newbury]

Tom Dexter wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 7, 2008 at 2:34 PM, Steven Adeff <adeffs.mythtv at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Sun, Apr 6, 2008 at 9:28 AM, William Munson
>>  <william_munson at comcast.net> wrote:
>>  >
>>  >  This is the very reason that we are all holding our breath on the new
>>  >  hd-pvr card. I have one local hd station (ABC) that will not record over
>>  >  firewire. Contacted the station manager and was told that they requested
>>  >  this themselves because  they are  "worried about people stealing the
>>  >  shows and  putting them on the internet". Will be interesting to see
>>  >  what happens after the release of the hd-pvr. I suspect there will be
>>  >  lawsuits flying so get yours before Hauppauge is forced to pull the
>>  >  product. Should be an interesting lawsuit since the component outputs
>>  >  are analog and should fall into the "analog hole" in the law.
>>
>>  the funny thing about the ABC situation is that cable companies by law
>>  have to transmit the signal in the free on their cable lines which can
>>  then be tuned with a QAM tuner. So their little firewire thing is
>>  really meaningless in regards to "pirating" their stuff. not to
>>  mention it can be obtained OTA in similar fashion for those with an
>>  ability to grab the signal.
>>
>>  --
>>  Steve
> 
> I almost can't believe that ABC would request that of the cable
> company...that's patently absurd.  I guess the entire industry thinks
> nobody owns an antenna??
> 
> As far as the "must carry" and "in the clear" laws...has anyone ever
> verified that those actually apply to the new HD stations?  They
> certainly should, but it seems there's been a great deal of debate
> about it, and I've yet to hear any definitive answer.  You'd think
> that after 2/2009, when the HD stations are all that's available over
> the air, that the cable cos would have to provide those in the
> clear...then again, I'm making the rash assumption that the FCC is
> actually working for the public rather than the broadcast industry...
> 
> Didn't someone on the list here complain to the FCC about encrypted
> local HD networks at one point?  Seems to me they got little more than
> a run-around.
> 

Read 47 CFR 76  It's your usual dense hard to read regulatory bumf. but 
TW is required by law to carry locally receiveable OTA channels 
(must-carry channels) in the clear, without encryption.