Broadcasting & Cable

Satellite companies gained a victory Thursday when the Federal Communications Commission voted to allow them to phase in a requirement that they carry all HD signals in any market where they carry any after the Feb. 17, 2009

»www.broadcastingcable.com/Commun···696.html, switch to digital TV by all full-power TV stations.

The commission also ruled that DirecTV »www.broadcastingcable.com/articl···8.html's and Dish Network »www.broadcastingcable.com/articl···5.html's requirement to carry all TV stations in a market where they carry any extends to DTV signals just as it applies to analog TV stations.

Satellite broadcasters will have four years to phase in delivery of local stations' HD signals, the FCC said, explaining that it recognized the "unique" capacity constraints of satellite and accepted their argument that an immediate mandate would slow the rollout of HD service.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the move was an effort to extend post-DTV transition viewability standards to satellite comparable to those it imposed on cable last fall, though comparable did not mean the same, the FCC conceded in the order, pointing to the phase-in of the agreement--cable's viewability requirement--which cable likes to call a dual-carriage requirement--kicks in Feb. 17, 2009.

Spotted here