Frustrated with the slow acceptance of high-definition television, local TV stations are planning to fire streams of data through the airwaves. Consumer advocates are crying foul, saying that the companies are changing Congress's rules for their own profit. But broadcasters were given extra airspace by Congress for free so they'd provide high-definition television images. If it's used for other, more lucrative technologies, groups like Ralph Nader's say the broadcasters should have to pay. But HDTV has been slow to take off.
Reception is spotty, programming occasional, and equipment expensive.
Only 24,631 new people bought equipment to watch HDTV in 1999, according to Ann Saybolt of the Consumer Electronics Association. So broadcasters in for the long haul are trying to find new uses for the free spectrum, and one idea they're focusing on is sending audio, video and Web site content directly to your home. And HDTV, right now, is not selling. Casting Call So, starting next year, your television signal could contain things which aren't television at all. Cable systems still haven't signed on to any of these plans, a major hurdle that both HDTV broadcasters and datacasters are facing.