Don't know if this is the correct location to post this- Mod's if not please move to correct location- Bottom line with ATSC 3.0 on the horizon they want to encrypt local OTA broadcasts via DRM.
I have attached links from LonTV and Tyler the Antenna Man to explain more as well as the link to sign the petition.- This is such nonsense on so many levels.



https://www.change.org/p/tell-the-fc...3-0-broadcasts

I'll be honest. I watched both videos and don't understand what they are warning will happen. People won't be able to receive OTA broadcast anymore? If it's not first thing in the morning or late night, I barely watch OTA as it is.

The only thing I have read is that you’ll need to buy a tuner and they’re expensive $200-$400.

lol wut?

The entire point of OTA is to be free and readily available. This doesn't seem to help anything.

This is why the rollout of ATSC 3.0 has been a disaster. They have agreed to simulcast 1.0 and 3.0 because of all the issues with the transition.

Technology is such a double edged sword. I have a great setup at home now using Plex, a HD Homerun Tuner, and an antenna. I can watch my local stations from anywhere in my house, or anywhere in the world with internet access, and record any program I want to watch later. We record Jeopardy nightly and usually watch later in the evening or catch up on several at a time if we miss a couple nights. If this passes I have no doubt they would restrict access and prevent me from using this setup in the same way.

So we're going back to the digital era early days of hooking up the antenna
to the analog TV via converter box, eh?

From what I have read since this was posted, if you have newer TV, the tuner is upgraded for this, and you will receive (and may already be receiving) the better signal quality without noticing it.

If you have an older TV, you will still receive OTA signal because it is required for stations to broadcast both signals, so you will not need to purchase anything.

It seems like the issue being discussed in these videos is not being able to turn on a TV and watch OTA broadcasts, but using DVRs and (especially) the streaming of OTA signals.

That's my understanding.

As long as I can turn on the TV to find local news broadcasts, I'm good.

You just know the stations are itching to turn off the older compatible signal and will the minute it's cleared by the FCC.

IDK about that.
My take on local channel programming is as much news as possible, and then a bunch of crap you couldn't pay me to watch all day. So who is watching this stuff? People who invest in new tech? No, it's the kind of people who have older TV sets and don't stream.

More and more people are buying antennas as cord cutting increases. I myself did. I can still watch some live sports OTA without having to pay crazy cable fees.

From what I read they still have to broadcast the last generation quality for 5 years after they first switch to ATSC 3.0 after five years they can shut it off.

What exactly is the DRM in place to prevent anyway? To stop people from pirating local OTA broadcasts?

I suspect they want to stop Internet services from taking their OTA signal and restreaming it for free. Cable systems actually pay carriage fees to local stations carrying their supposedly "free" broadcasts. But cable is about to go away in the next decade and the stations will want encryption so no one can borrow the video for free.

It keeps you from recording shows to watch later like we've always been able to do for decades.

I think the DRM also has a lot to do with illegal streaming feeds for live sports.

DRM is the epicenter of evil in the universe.

It's also the reason why 99% of the "4K Ready" gear I bought didn't work when 4K actually arrived.