Black churches want FCC to preserve analog TV channels

A coalition of more than 30,000 African-American churches is planning protests next week to take place in front of the headquarters of both the Federal Communications Commission and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA).

The protests were inspired by the FCC's failure to renew rules that force cable operators to carry certain analog channels even if their networks have gone digital. This rule has mainly had the effect of protecting religious programming, a staple of the black church in some communities. The church leaders say they want a meeting with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski on the matter, which the commission addressed in February when it said it would consider extending the rule. In a letter sent to the chairman last month, they wrote, "We would like to ensure that our content reaches everyone who would like to see it — including those consumers that cannot afford, or are not aware that they need, a new cable box." But procedural matters mean that if the FCC doesn't act next week, religious programming from thousands of churches could be pulled from the airwaves unless they can afford to film with very expensive high-definition equipment.