In 1959 at the end of a relatively prosperous decade in the City of Sacramento, California in a dozen or so homes that faced a rather large Catholic grade school, half the homes had telephones but no televisions. and the other half had TV,s but no telephones.
The latter became painfully apparent when sibllings of absent were sent home for lunch with notes pinned to their jackets.
Yes dear reader it does get cold even in California in October.
Today each of those homes probably homes That have two or TVs and perhaps as many as three telephones. That is the tele communications revolution.
In 1984 my father retired after a career in television. At thta time in Detroit Michigan Tv viewers had a choice of programming provided on three channels, 2,4, and, seven. They were the network affilates and. Detroiters also had and independent station Channel 50 which broadcast on UHF which newer Television sets could recieved. In addition. Residents could also get channel 9 in Windsor and even channel 11 in Toledo Ohio. All of which was Broadcast over the airways. The airways belonged to all and the mediums that used them had to show cause when their liscence came up for renewal that thy were used for the common good.
A new form on Television was was coming or so everyone said. It did not broadcast over the air but a cable buried in the ground as a result it could carry 100 different channels. The trouble was laying the Cable was expensive and if a neighbor an over it with a riding lawn mower a sub division could be shut down.
To off set the expense of Cable communities gave cable companies exclusive rights to a community. In return the residents got Public acces. which filmed City Government meetings, Founders day parades, high school and other items of a purely local interest. The cable company would also teach residents how to film events and loaned them the camera or studio space when necessary.
A factor called low popuation density limited our City’ participation in the the last cable revolution. Still we were of among the first communities to film city commision meetings. Current City Commisioner and former Mayor Coakley believes Fiber optics is the cure to what ails us. Is It ? Read on.
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