telletopia faqs 11-2-15 final

Live, Local Broadcast TV Online™

Telletopia Foundation - 3830 Valley Centre Drive, Suite 705-316 San Diego, CA 92130 p: 800.858.2413 www.telletopia.org

Telletopia FAQs Why was Telletopia founded? Broadcast TV was originally established for the “public interest, convenience and necessity.” The current pay TV model has evolved to where this once simple, straightforward medium is now expensive and complex for consumers. Telletopia’s mission is to offer consumers affordable, live, local broadcast television online, preserving access to local channels and ensuring their long-term availability. What problems does Telletopia solve? Other than by antenna, consumers can only watch live, local broadcast TV as part of a cable, satellite or telco pay TV service. Beyond the price, subscriptions generally include lengthy contracts, expensive equipment and inconvenient installations. Telletopia eliminates all these problems; the service is affordable, with no commitment, set-top boxes or credit checks and can be activated online in minutes. As an Internet-based service, Telletopia will also be available in areas that over-the-air signals simply do not reach. As many other forms of media (e.g., print news, radio, etc.) already have migrated to Internet-based delivery, Telletopia believes consumers deserve the same easy and affordable access to television online without any of these hassles. What do you mean by “live, local broadcast TV”? Network channels that are available over the air or in a “basic” pay TV bundle. For example, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW, PBS, Univision, etc. How can Telletopia legally retransmit broadcast content? In order to retransmit local broadcast TV, a company must comply with both copyright law and communications law. Copyright law At present, traditional cable, satellite and telco TV operators are afforded a compulsory license in copyright law to retransmit local broadcast signals over “their” networks. No such compulsory license exists for retransmission over the open Internet. However, longstanding copyright law does extend a license exemption to certain types of organizations, including hotels, apartment buildings, government organizations and nonprofits. As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, Telletopia has such an exemption, and can legally retransmit broadcast TV over the Internet.



Communications law Cable, satellite and telco TV operators are also classified by the FCC as multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) within communications law. This status gives them the ability to negotiate “consent” with a local broadcaster for carriage of their signals. Consent is not a license, but it is how broadcasters are paid when their signals are distributed. In late 2015, the FCC is voting to make companies like Telletopia the first Internet-based MVPDs. As an MVPD, Telletopia will have the legal ability to negotiate with broadcasters to retransmit their live 24/7 signal within local markets. Who are Telletopia’s target customers? People who have broadband Internet access and want an affordable way to watch the most popular local television channels. This demographic includes the growing number of “cord cutters,” who have recently opted out of traditional, pricey pay TV bundles as well as “cord nevers,” who have never subscribed to traditional pay TV services in the first place.

How do broadcasters work with Telletopia? Local broadcast TV stations make most of their money from selling advertising. These companies realize they are losing viewers to the Internet, and don’t have any way to get their live, 24/7 signals online. Telletopia gives broadcasters a way to capture online viewers, create a two-way relationship via social media and receive valuable data on viewership metrics under existing law and familiar retransmission revenue models. At no additional cost, broadcasters gain the ability to monetize their advertisements online and benefit from increased viewership.

How do I watch TV on Telletopia? Go to www.Telletopia.org, sign-up and start watching the local channels in your area. If you go to a different market where Telletopia has launched, you also can watch the local channels there.

How much does it cost to use Telletopia? For a low monthly fee, subscribers can watch the most popular local television channels in their market, including all the primetime, sports and local news. Monthly subscriptions will be priced less than $20, pending the results of retransmission negotiations with broadcasters. Does Telletopia require a contract commitment? No. Unlike most TV providers, Telletopia does not require a commitment, giving viewers the ultimate in freedom as they can subscribe to the service on a month-to-month basis. The subscription requires only acceptance of Telletopia’s terms of service and can be cancelled online at any time.



Do I need special equipment or software to use Telletopia? No. Telletopia is available on just about any device with an Internet connection and web browser. Will Telletopia work on any mobile or desktop device? Yes, as long as it has Internet access and a web browser. When traditional TV providers say I can watch “anywhere, anytime,” they often mean inside my house. With Telletopia, can I watch live, local broadcast TV outside my house? Truly watch TV anywhere, anytime? Yes. As long as you are within a market where Telletopia is launched and have a device with Internet access and a web browser, you can watch live, local TV anywhere, anytime. The service roams, but the channels do not. In other words, you can watch the live, local television available in that area. Which web browsers does Telletopia support? Telletopia will initially support Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome on Mac, PC iOS and Android. The service will eventually support IPTV boxes, SmartTVs and native mobile applications. Do I still need the set-top box I previously used to watch pay TV? No. All Telletopia needs is an Internet-connected device with a web browser. Does Telletopia work with Roku and Microsoft Xbox? Does Telletopia have an iOS or Android app? Not yet, but they are in the works. Stay tuned.

Is Telletopia like Aereo? No. Telletopia is the exact opposite of Aereo in two very specific ways. Aereo’s business was based on the unintended consequence, or loophole, of a law that dealt with cloud DVR, not the fundamental retransmission of local broadcasts. Telletopia, in contrast, is based on the Copyright Law Section 111(a)(5), which was explicitly written to enable retransmission of local broadcast TV. Also, Aereo was attempting to disrupt the entire broadcast industry while Telletopia is designed to be beneficial to broadcasters at all levels. How is Telletopia different than Sling TV? Sling TV is a collection of cable television channels, including ESPN, Disney Channel, Food Network, HGTV, TNT and others. Think of it as a small premium cable bundle. Telletopia is complementary to Sling TV as it provides the live, local broadcast TV stations that Sling TV does not.



How is Telletopia different than Comcast’s Stream service? Comcast Stream is a collection of local broadcast channels and premium cable channels including HBO; however, it is only available within the home where you subscribe to Comcast’s broadband Internet service. Telletopia is available over any Internet connection and works both in and out of the home. How is Telletopia different than FilmOn X service? FilmOn offers a collection of live, on demand and live social content online. The company is currently prohibited from retransmitting live U.S. broadcast television as it does not hold a compulsory copyright license. Telletopia has an exemption from needing that license and will be able to retransmit live U.S. broadcast TV online. How soon before Telletopia is available in other markets? Telletopia will launch the 14 California television markets in 2016. Plans are underway to expand coverage and rollout will continue across the U.S. through 2016 and into 2017. As a nonprofit, how is Telletopia funded? The genesis of the company was funded by its executives, who have diverse backgrounds in the cable television, wireless and nonprofit communities. There is no venture capital backing. To make further expansion possible, Telletopia will launch a crowd-funding campaign to raise funds for additional equipment- and service-related activities. In addition, donations are accepted from parties with an interest in seeing live, local broadcast TV service made available to the masses. The company also has forecasted that the cost of operations will be covered by subscription revenue.

Of everything you can watch online, what makes Telletopia stand out? Nearly 80 percent of television programming is still consumed live and close to half of viewing is of the major broadcast networks. But, with over 13 million broadband-only American homes, TV viewers are moving to the Internet. Telletopia stands out as the only provider offering live, local broadcast TV online both inside and outside the home.

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telletopia faqs 11-2-15 final

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