Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with fcc

Chappelle's sexual reference

i'm being pummeled very heavily — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:55:52 -0800

A few years back, I was watching The Chappelle Show and Chappelle, during one of his monologues, made a reference to a sexual act, using a word that I was not familiar with. I assumed the word came from hip-hop subculture. He followed up by saying something to the effect of, "I love using nasty words that white people/FCC don't know yet. They have no idea how dirty I'm being when I say _______ ." Does anyone remember what that word was and what it means? Sorry I can't recall the season or the episode or more context.

Wait, why are we doing this, again?

theefixedstars — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 09:37:06 -0800

I want to understand more about the switch from analog to digital television. Why is the FCC doing this, and how are the analog waves now going to be used? Where can I go to find out more information?

At what moment will the analog TV signal die?

k7lim — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:23:11 -0800

My friends and I would like to observe the switch-off of analog TV. The FCC has mandated that all analog TV stations stop on February 19, 2009. I'm planning to procure a bunny-eared TV to watch the signal go dead. Can anyone help me pinpoint when this moment is going to be? (This is going to be SO much better than New Year's)

The FCC on GMRS: SOL or ROFL?

itstheclamsname — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:16:43 -0800

Is the FCC enforcing licensing requirements for GMRS two-way radios? Many inexpensive two-way radios now have the capacity to broadcast and receive on General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) frequencies, greatly extending their range. What is rather poorly advertised on these devices is that these frequencies require an FCC license to use, which appears to cost $85.

So: 1) Does the FCC actively enforce these rules, and if so, how can it do so? 2) Are these devices being sold with a wink and a nod, with the expectation that no one is acquiring the necessary licenses?

I've thought about getting a pair of these radios but I've always been curious about this limitation.

I am looking for programming information for Comcast Channel 36 (Public Access) in Bellflower, CA during March to June 2004 period.

Mr_Crazyhorse — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 12:15:40 -0800

I am looking for programming information for Comcast Channel 36 (Public Access) in Bellflower, CA during March to June 2004 period. I am not sure if filings need to be made with the FCC, but I am looking for information about specific programming shown on this channel during the March-June 2004 period. Specifically I am looking for the name of a show broadcast at that time, or IF a show was broadcast during that time.

I am not sure if the FCC would have a master list of these things, or if it is available anywhere else on line.

Thanks.

Closed-captioning and cable TV.

desjardins — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:28:27 -0800

The FCC seems to indicate that broadcasters are required to include closed captioning, at least for new programming, but I have purchased several very recent movies on cable that lack closed captioning. How are the cable companies getting around these requirements? Why is closed captioning so inconsistent? If I rent a recent movie (last 10 years) from the local video store, it will almost always be closed-captioned. If I watch it on regular cable TV, there is a very good chance it will be captioned. If I PAY for it on cable TV (Comcast's On Demand service), it's a total crapshoot. What the heck? Lack of captioning makes the movie essentially worthless to me (I am hearing-impaired).

How can I take down these telemarketers?

anodyne- — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 15:53:18 -0800

Please help me take action against an unidentified automated telemarketer! Over the last three weeks I have received three identical automated calls on my home phone number soliciting a "free carpet cleaning" service. The company and phone number are never identified, and the only options on the phone tree are:
1) Make an "appointment"
2) unsubscribe from list.

*69 only gives me "000-000-0000," so I can't call them back and ask for information.

I would love to send a complaint to the FCC/FTC/whoever, but I don't know if this will do any good without as much as a phone number.

I'm sure this is illegal (I believe I can take them to small-claims court for $500 for the automated solicitations), but I don't know to what degree or to whom I should complain. Any ideas on what, if any, action I can take? Thanks.

Help a first time homeowner with all sorts of moving and decorating stuff!

twiggy — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:43:55 -0800

NewHomeFilter: I have a few questions about moving into my first new condo. I'm on a budget and green to the process with questions about: furniture (where to get), TV service (see inside), and lots... First and foremost: I have more junk than I know what to do with and I know I need to throw a lot of it out. My bedframe is falling apart, but the boxspring/mattress are fine. I'd like a nice looking bed to put my mattress in. Do I still need the boxspring?

I've just made a down payment and paid a ton of other cash toward my condo, so I'm on a tight budget. Ikea's prices look reasonable, but their "european style" beds are awfully low to the ground, so while I like the look of some of them, I'm not so sure about the logistics.

Eventually, though perhaps not right now, I'll want to replace my old and not so spectacular couch. Difficulty: I have non declawed cats.

I also completely suck at coordinating things. I can look at a well decorated place and appreciate it, but I cannot create one. How do I know that based on the color of my floors and walls, a couch, entertainment center etc will look decent in the room?

With regards to TV service - the association has some exclusive contract with a DirecTV installer. They want to charge me all sorts of fees to "install" each receiver, a fee to do wiring, etc. Then, after that, I still have to call DirecTV and set up service myself, so I'm not getting any sort of discounted monthly fee etc for using the large community dish installed on our roof. Unfortunately, my balcony faces a building (yay city living) so I don't think installing my own Dish (I currently have Dish network) is an option despite the FCC laws allowing me to use common elements for such a purpose.

I really don't want to pay the $200+ for new DirecTV receivers, etc etc, and then also have to pay $5/month on top of my DirecTV bill to have "available service in case something goes wrong" from this DirecTV contractor. On the flip side, I am worried that if I complain about this and seek other avenues, my first impression to my fellow tenants will be that of being a nuisance/complainer.

I'm also almost certainly running out of time to choose a moving service. Any recommendations for movers in the Chicago area for a relatively short move (from suburbs to city)?

Between repainting, replacing flooring in the bedrooms and other things, I have so much to take care of I'm admittedly kind of freaking out. Thanks ahead of time for any help you all can provide. Any general "new first time homeowner" tips would be greatly appreciated.

Why is MCI siding with the ISPs in Brand X

EatenByAGrue — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 09:16:02 -0800

Does anyone know why MCI would be in favor of regulating cable modems in the Brand X case recently before the Supreme Court? I can't think of a compelling technical or business reason why they'd do that. The case involves whether to classify cable modem service as a telecommunications service or not. This is important because, if it is classified as a telecom service, the cable companies are subject to common carrier requirements, including payment of universal service fees and allowing others (i.e., ISPs like EarthLink) to use the cable lines.

DSL companies are siding with the cable companies, because they figure if cable modems get deregulated, DSL will too. I would have thought (even before MCI's sale to a local teleco) that MCI would also be in favor of deregulation, but they actually wrote a brief in support of the ISPs. Why would they do that? The only thing I can think of is that they want to make sure cable companies pay their fair share of universal service fees, but their brief doesn't mention the fees at all. Can anyone think of a better reason? Thanks.

Broadcast Flag Specs

Netzapper — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 13:07:15 -0800

Can someone please direct me to a technical specification of the US FCC-mandated Broadcast Flag? I'm thinking that although new receivers will be unable to ignore the broadcast flag, it should be possible to build a digital "filter" that you hook up between the receiver and the datasource that flips the bit on the Broadcast Flag.

FCC Question

Yelling At Nothing — Wed, 07 Apr 2004 19:00:10 -0800

So, I'm looking at the back of my wireless card, and I have an FCC rules question. [more inside] On the back of my wireless-B network card, it says that it complies fully with part 15 of the FCC rules; specifically, "this device may not cause harmful interference" (makes sense) and "this device must accept any interference that may cause undesired operation" (doesn't make so much sense.) I'm wondering what the purpose of the second bit is.