PEG Services in the Digital TV Age

PEG SERVICES IN THE DIGITAL TV AGE
Comcast executive vice president David Cohen, testifying before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, said the No. 1 cable company in the country wanted talks with Dearborn and other Michigan townships to yield a positive outcome. “I am pleased to say that we are now engaged in friendly, and what I am sure ultimately will be fruitful, discussions with local government officials in Michigan …” Cohen said. Comcast, Cohen said, was attempting to make the best use of limited channel capacity as the company gradually transitions from being a hybrid analog-digital platform to an all-digital services provider, just like the video networks of AT&T and Verizon and the satellite TV services of DirecTV and Dish Network. “Today’s intensively competitive video environment compels cable operators to offer PEG channels in a digital format,” Cohen said. “Our major competitors are already all-digital and they widely tout that fact in their consumer marketing.” The migration to digital, he added, would in the end sweep in all channels, not just PEG stations. “I want to clearly state that we are not discriminating against PEG channels,” Cohen said. House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) said, "I am opposed to any effort that would thwart the goals underlying a cable operator’s obligation to make PEG programming available to consumers. It matters little to me if such efforts are driven by technological change, the need for more network capacity, or the desire to compete with new entrants. PEG programming deserves first-class treatment, not second-class billing. That is why Congress requires cable operators to provide PEG programming on the most basic tier of service and why this Committee has stated that it should be available to subscribers at the “lowest reasonable rate."

* Comcast Defends Michigan PEG-Channel Move
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6526551.html?rssid=193

* Dingell Praises Comcast For PEG Flexibility
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: ]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6526958.html?nid=4262

* Statement of Chairman John D. Dingell (D-MI)
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110st127.shtml