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Want to watch CFB for free? NO MORE if the broadcasters get their way.


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Posting on the football board as this directly affects watching CFB.  Many of us, particularly older folks (and cheap bastards like me), rely on OTA boardcasts to watch a large numbers of games. Whether that's because boardcast channels aren't available (looking at you Sling) or just looking to cut costs (with the Sling daypass, I've been able to keep my costs this year under $50 total). Stole this from a reddit post in r/cordcutters:

The FCC has reopened comments (deadline early 2026) on letting stations encrypt primary ATSC 3.0 channels — the exact thing that is already forcing CBS in some markets to fall back to lower-quality 1.0 or BLOCKING recording/playback entirely on HDHomeRun, Plex, Tablo, etc.

If encryption wins without strong rules, we lose: • The ability to watch/record on the device we choose • Fair-use recording and ad-skipping • Truly free, open over-the-air TV on the public airwaves

Public comments have stopped this before — they can again.

Filing takes literally one minute here:

→ https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/express

Proceeding: 16-142 (no space before the number)

Copy/paste examples (or write your own):

Shorter version- Proceeding 16-142

The FCC charter for public broadcast TV provides that those radio frequencies are for the use by the public. ANY encryption at all on those frequencies violates that charter.

Please ban encryption/DRM on primary ATSC 3.0 channels OR require permanent unencrypted ATSC 1.0 simulcasts.

Free OTA should stay open to any antenna and any tuner — no paywall on public airwaves.

Longer version- Proceeding 16-142

The FCC charter for public broadcast TV provides that those radio frequencies are for the use by the public. ANY encryption at all on those frequencies has been a violation of that charter.

Any company that considers their content too valuable to broadcast unencrypted should not be granted a license to use the public airwaves.

Encryption on primary broadcast channels would destroy over-the-air TV for millions who use HDHomeRun, Plex, Tablo, etc.

I urge the FCC to prohibit redistribution-control descriptors on the main program stream OR make full-quality 1.0 simulcasts permanent for any station that encrypts its 3.0 signal.

Every single comment submitted to the FCC gets read. Let’s not lose free OTA to DRM.

 

 

 

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