must carry?

[Jim Hall]

Also on the subject of "must carry":  will cable companies be required to
carry *all* the sub-channels if a local station decides to multicast?
Comcast currently carries the WGBX-TV sub-channels, as well as the WHDH-TV
weather channel (7.2), but I don't think they carry the WBPX sub-channels
(or I haven't come across them). 





The interesting thing to watch will be to see how Comcast and others treats
this signal. When I lived in Wakefield, WNDS was only "must carry" to the
Warner subscribers in Wakefield, but none of the surrounding towns in the
Warner "Medford Complex" because its signal was just strong enough to make
it a must carry in Wakefield, but not Melrose, Malden, Medford, etc..

Granted this was back in the day when space on a cable system was at a
premium, but now that there is a good amount of space due to digital
technology would Comcast/ RCN/ Verizon/ Charter/ still drop any signal that
does not meet the letter of the law for "must carry" status? I think the
Derry NH C.O.L. station would be gone in a second if Comcast could do it.

There are a bunch of crap stations out there that are "dollar a holler"
infomercial or shop at home stations that forced there way onto cable
systems using "must carry" that might be in for a rude awakening when their
digital signal doesn't make it over the air to places the analog signal did.