SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Feb. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Locast, the nonprofit local broadcast TV streaming service, plans to stream dozens of local TV channels via the internet across Puerto Rico this year, bringing important local news, weather and storm coverage, emergency information, sports, and entertainment programming to internet-connected devices.
The announcement was made ahead of the Feb. 21 hearing about resilient communications to be held by Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan.
The announcement was also made on the heels of a recent congressional delegation comprised of House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Small Business Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to survey infrastructure damage in Puerto Rico from recent earthquakes and to receive briefings on recovery efforts.
“Given that Puerto Rico has recently faced life-shattering earthquakes and hurricanes, we wholeheartedly support serious discussions about how to ensure communication networks are always available, especially for public safety,” said Locast Founder and Chairman David Goodfriend. “Locast can help solve this problem by delivering local TV channels via the internet to phones, tablets, computers, and media players, even when other types of communications infrastructure are damaged. As long as local TV stations are broadcasting, Locast can become a lifeline to the 78 municipalities in Puerto Rico during emergency response and disaster relief efforts.”
A launch date for Locast delivery of local TV channels in Puerto Rico is expected in the coming months.
Once launched, viewers in the Puerto Rico Designated Market Area (DMA) using internet-connected devices can watch, for free, their locally produced broadcast TV in high definition via the Locast app or at www.locast.org. The launch of Locast in Puerto Rico is an important step toward ensuring emergency information from local TV stations is available via internet-connected computers, media players, phones, tablets.
Locast provides a public service in 17 U.S. cities, reaching more than 41 million viewers.
Locast operates under the Copyright Act of 1976 that allows nonprofit translator services to rebroadcast local stations without receiving a copyright license from the broadcaster. Locast supports the efforts and Congressional mandate of local broadcasters to transmit their TV signals to every member of the public. The federal statute (17 U.S.C. 111(a)(5)) states that a nonprofit organization may retransmit a local broadcast signal and even collect a fee to cover the cost of operations. Locast asks viewers to donate as little as $5 per month to help cover operating costs. The donation is voluntary and not required to view local TV channels from Locast.
For more information, visit www.locast.org. Follow Locast on Facebook and Twitter @LocastOrg.
About Locast
Locast.org was founded by Sports Fans Coalition NY (SFCNY), a New York-based nonprofit, fan-advocacy group formed in 2017. Locast launched in January 2018 in New York City and now reaches more than 40 million viewers in 17 U.S. cities. SFCNY is the first local chapter of Sports Fans Coalition, Inc., which led the successful campaign to end the Sports Blackout Rule at the FCC in 2014 and continues to advocate for fans wherever sports and public policy intersect. As a nonprofit, Locast is supported by user donations and is available at www.locast.org, app stores, on DISH Hopper/Wally receivers, select DIRECTV receivers, TiVo, AT&T’s U-Verse, and at streaming service providers Google Play, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon, and ROKU. Visit us at www.locast.org.
Press contact:
Marc Lumpkin
Altitude Public Relations for Locast
marc@altitudepr.com
303-378-2366