The future of Locast

If Locast loses we should start suing stations that don't provide a reasonable signal on airwaves that I/we pay for. Seems only fair.

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Do you live in the United States? I have never paid a tax for broadcast tv signals. The broadcasters make money with commercial advertisements and retransmission fees.

Of course you have! The Federal money doesn't grow on trees. And they just can't print more...at least not until this year.

What Federal money? Does PBS get financed by the government? ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox do not get Federal funding. They make money with live advertisements, web/digital media advertisements, retransmission fees.

Yes PBS is financed by the feds. The others you are sort of correct. Those air waves belong to the people, not those broadcasting companies. Those retransmission fees are pure profit. They didn't use to exist.

Isn't the point of any business to make a profit ?

Absolutely no problem with profit. It's not a dirty word. I have a problem with paying twice, three times, or more for the same thing. If I have FUBO how is Locast hurting the networks? And if I only have an antenna how is Locast hurting the networks?

If the networks want to get rid of Locast then they need to give up their retransmission fees.

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Might be. That was the impetuous behind Let's Encrypt.

Inconsequential. They meet the criteria for being classified as a non-profit, so a non-profit they are.

Don't understand your point here at all.

Ok. Locast is just here to spread joy and happiness, if that's what you believe. My point about Spectrum is they charge $25 for something Locast can sell for up to $5 Locast doesn't has to pay the Networks or Sports leagues for access. That's a competitive advantage.

And Peacock is only one network.. Paying $10 to every channel/network is just crazy.

You're conflating beliefs with reality. My beliefs, like yours, are inconsequential. The reality is the law is the law, and Locast is apparently operating as it is within the current law.

Are you equally as adverse to credit unions, because, operating as non-profits, they have a competitive advantage over banks? Non-profit food co-ops, because they have a competitive advantage over supermarkets? Municipal broadband initiatives, because they have a competitive advantage over commercial broadband suppliers?

I'm reading what THE RULE says. Not giving an opinion about credit unions or food banks. It's a competitive advantage. Would you agree or not?

Richard, I'm not going to discuss this with you any further.

Good idea.

It could be. If Locast wins in court, others may follow the same path, or donations to Locast could greatly increase. This would highly devalue the fees that cable companies are now paying the local stations. It would not take much for a cable company to put a Locast app into their cable box and stop paying local access fees.

Trying to inject a bit of positivity, regardless of how this thing works out in the courts, the argument is an inevitable byproduct of industry in the midst of disruptive change. Channels, with its ability to bring in multiple sources, enables us to adapt to these changes with little to no impact on our users. So we are better off than most.

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That already done

AT&T integrates free broadcast TV app Locast on DirecTV, U-verse | FierceVideo

Sling TV Integrates Locast to Add Locals to Grid Guide on AirTV Mini – The Streamable

I can't receive OTA because of trees and mountains and stuff. So in my non-lawyerly opinion, Locast gets a :+1: Can we have a nice thing for once?

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Same here antenna will not work where I live but instead of locast, I get a small streaming package with locals from spectrum. My problem is I keep getting a fee increase every year & sometimes in between for network broadcast fee. The networks have become way tooooop greedy.

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I wonder if that was done. I still have DTV and I can't get Locast on it. I do have it on my Shield.