Locast, a service that streams over-the-air television stations to devices via the internet, has launched in Madison but will need to fight to stay in business, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report.
Madison native David Goodfriend started the company using a provision in Federal Communications Commission law that allows nonprofits to retransmit broadcast signals without paying the stations. Launched in mid-January, Locast covers 48% of the country’s population and is available in many large television markets without the requirement of an antenna. While it is free to users, the organization asked for donations of $5 to $25 a month or $60 to $100 a year to help cover its costs. A court case filed in New York by ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC alleges that Locast violates their copyrights by retransmitting their programming without permission and compensation.
