Clyburn Wants Vigin Islands PBS Carried on Dish
Dish Network customers in the U.S. Virgin Islands should be able to view their PBS affiliate instead of a station from Puerto Rico, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn said in a blog post Monday. “While I cannot compel carriage of WTJX…
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as an FCC Commissioner, I do believe it is the right thing to do.” Dish carries PBS station WMTJ out of Puerto Rico in lieu of WTJX-TV Charlotte Amalie, Puerto Rico, Clyburn said. “Geographically, Puerto Rico is just over 100 miles from the Virgin Islands, but make no mistake they are very different communities, not to mention that they have a different dominate [sic] language.” Because the Virgin Islands isn't in a Nielsen designated market area, WTJX can’t use must carry or retransmission consent to get carriage on satellite providers, Clyburn said. “We owe it to the people of the Virgin Islands to ensure they have access to local public broadcasting, just as those living in the continental United States, Hawaii, and parts of Alaska have come to expect and I call on the powers that be to make it happen, now.” Dish didn’t comment.