Suddenlink Eyes DTV Countdowns In Atlantic Region
MSO Anticipates Logistics Hurdles With Feb. 17 Cutovers in Some Markets
Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 2/12/2009 4:09:56 PM
While some cable systems have completed the technical work for the broadcast digital TV transition, for others -- like those in Suddenlink Communications' seven-state Atlantic area -- it will be go-time in the early morning hours of Feb. 18.
About 80% of the 112 broadcasters in the Suddenlink Atlantic region are on their final frequency and the MSO has digital receivers and modulators in place to receive their off-air signals, said Al Partin, director of engineering for West Virginia.
But 25 stations in the 250,000-subscriber region are going to move their DTV signal to a new frequency and boosting power, and most of them were planning to cut over Feb. 17.
"We are as far along as we can get until the broadcasters make their final channel move," Partin said.
As of Thursday, it was still unclear how many of those stations would actually proceed. The Federal Communications Commission said 123 stations, including seven in West Virginia, would need to certify with the agency by 6 p.m. Eastern Friday that they are in compliance with additional requirements before being allowed to cease analog TV in their markets.
In any case, Partin said, the challenge for Suddenlink will be establishing the exact time when each individual station switches to the new DTV signal. The operator will need to have a technician on-site at some of its 26 headends in the Atlantic region past midnight on Tuesday.
"It would be easier if they all decided to do it at 2 a.m. -- but that's not likely to be the case," Partin said.
In Suddenlink's Oklahoma markets, a few TV stations are doing a "cold cut," meaning they're initiating a new DTV signal on Feb. 17 or 18, said Gene Reed, Suddenlink engineering support specialist in the region.
"A lot can go wrong when they're doing that," Reed said, adding that the company is focusing on situations involving antenna changes or frequency moves.
