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Las Vegas Review - Journal

By Chris Jones

By CHRIS JONES

GAMING WIRE

Local radio and television broadcasters provide a vital public interest and should expect special government protection, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission told a Las Vegas audience Tuesday.

Speaking at this year's National Association of Broadcasters trade show, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the commission will continue to prevent satellite radio from offering local traffic, weather and advertising that could lure listeners away from over- the-air broadcasts.

Martin said the FCC will continue to oppose XM and Sirius, the nation's two largest satellite radio providers, in their efforts to provide local content.

Such services were first licensed on a national level, and Martin said the FCC will work to maintain that status in order to safeguard satellite's fundamental difference from over-the-air broadcasters.

"Free, over-the-air broadcasting has always played a crucial role in people's communities, even with the proliferation of other choices that consumers have in terms of other entertainment," Martin said at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Such local ties are heightened during periods like last summer's Hurricane Katrina disaster, when Americans greatly relied on local broadcasts for news and other valuable information, Martin said.

He hopes to enhance their usefulness through the FCC's Public Safety & Homeland Security bureau, which is dedicated to ensuring the nation's communication systems function during times of crisis.

New technologies, Martin said, will aid broadcasters in such work, from airing Amber Alerts regarding missing children to providing emergency instructions when power and other infrastructure is shut down.

Looking forward, Martin said the FCC's top priority is preparing the estimated 15 million to 20 million U.S. homes that rely solely on over-the-air television broadcasts to receive TV broadcasts when digital television becomes the national standard in February 2009.

"Moving broadcasters into the digital era is critical ... but that has to be balanced to make sure that we don't put an undue burden on consumers," said Martin, who was an FCC commissioner from July 2001 through March 2005, when he replaced Michael Powell as chairman.

"(The FCC must) make sure that people who are used to being able to watch television don't have that opportunity taken away," he added.

Martin also pledged to work with broadcasters on ways to address decency concerns surrounding TV and radio programs. Ratings systems and in-set censoring devices such as the "V-chip" are a start, but Martin said more must be done.

He suggested cable and satellite TV providers offer a "family tier" of channels with family friendly programs, or give consumers greater ability to select pay-television packages on an a la carte basis, thereby eliminating objectionable channels before such service enters a home.

The National Association of Broadcasters trade show, which is closed to the public, concludes Thursday at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Las Vegas Hilton.

(c) 2006 Las Vegas Review - Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.