From:      <clw@hprnd.rose.hp.com>
To:        A4.A4(ssegal)
Date:      11/6/95 1:02pm
Subject:   Chairman's Column Comments

Carl Wuebker (clw@f.rose.hp.com) writes:

     I am not speaking for my company and am not affiliated with
any broadcaster.  My family has decided to turn off our TV during
the week while school is in session.  This radical move gives us
time together and time for homework.
     The problem that I see with your proposal is that, even when
the  broadcasters do produce "educational" programs, the airtime
and/or bandwidth is  used inefficiently.  An educational program
which is aimed at 3~5 year-olds might be too "dumb" for a
6-year-old.  Programs teaching math waste time for someone who is
trying to learn English or history.  I use the term "Democrat" to
describe programs like your push for educational TV -- your heart
is in the right place, you care about children, but you haven't
asked yourself the question "What happens after my proposal is
approved?  Will the results be what I had hoped for?"
     My view is that the 6 MHz per channel TV bandwith could be
used much more efficiently to deliver programmed learning on a
variety of subjects, more  efficiently helping a larger segment
of the population.  Still pictures, words
& symbols use the bandwidth far more efficiently than the 30
frames-per-second moving images do.  Of course, people would need
to buy a set-top-box of some kind to capture and select the
images, but -- with a lot of people buying them, the set-top
boxes could be inexpensive.  I do work for Hewlett-Packard which
makes set-top boxes, but I am not affiliated with that division
and am not lobbying for HP set-top boxes.
     Finally, your title "A Good Day For Kids" made me think of
something else; the many kids which are kidnapped and not
returned to their families (my family has been fortunate -- we
haven't had any problems).  What if the FCC allowed a pager-sized
device which would receive most of the time but not transmit 
unless it was "selected" by a signal?  Children, skiiers, etc.
could carry this  device and, if they became lost or kidnapped,
cellular towers or satellites  could send out their code, causing
their device to transmit... or perhaps the device would have an
"emergency" pushbutton for faster response time. If this  device
had GPS, it could transmit their location to police or rescue
squads.
     I'd like to suggest that, in addition to selling bandwidth
to cellular and digital communications firms, the FCC proactively
allocate some bandwidth to  encourage innovative public services
like those I've described above.

                                                 Thanks,

                                                 Carl Wuebker
                                                 "Speaking for
myself, 
                                                     not my
company."
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