Winnemucca News

Winnemucca News

County to study then mull over the issue of television in the outlying areas - 05-18-2010

WINNEMUCCA — While television technology has continually advanced, the equipment being used to relay free TV to the folks in the Quinn River TV district has not kept pace.

In the last year, as television went digital, the folks living in the Quinn River TV district have gotten less reliability and frequently some channels are off for weeks.  The district includes a series of relay stations that broadcast television from Boise to McDermitt and then to Orovada.

Paul Burkholder, who maintains the system for the county, will be studying the issue to see where problems can be mitigated.  The real issue for the county, though, is whether this is a service that is still needed in the outlying areas.

The Humboldt County Commissioners recently suggested it was time to reach out to the users in order to determine who still depends on free TV and who has made the jump to satellite. They have suggested polling community members and sponsoring events to discuss the issue.

The people who live in the district pay a special tax to maintain the system and approximately $114,000 has accumulated in the district’s account to help mitigate some of the issues -- such as outdated equipment.  In addition, there are grants available from the federal government to offset the costs to rural communities who update their systems.

The issue before the commissioners and community members is whether the money should be used to maintain a system going the way of the dinosaurs.

Burkholder commented, “My guess is that a significant number in the district are getting their television from satellite. Whether or not this is even a worthwhile service anymore is kind of a question mark.”

If it’s true, as some have suggested, that the days of free TV are coming to an end because more of the spectrum used to broadcast is given over to other industries, such as the Internet, it may be better to take a long-view of things. It was suggested the better course of action may be to buy those who don’t have one a satellite dish, redistribute the rest of the funds back to the taxpayers, and disband the special district.

At this point, no decisions have been made. Burkholder is currently running tests to determine the reliability of those television channels still available.

Written by Dee Holzel - Silver Pinyon Journal - 5/18/10

• Winnemucca News