Q: What is iBlast?
A: Founded in 1999, iBlast is a wireless data broadcast infrastructure and service.

iBlast broadcasts popular digital content directly to the home using the powerful transmitting towers of local TV stations.

Consumers will receive a variety of rich media content, such as movies, music, games, movie trailers and software directly on their hard drives.

Q: What does iBlast deliver?
A: iBlast provides a cost-effective, secure and scalable last-mile data distribution solution for content creators.

For consumers, iBlast facilitates an abundance of new content delivery services and products, including video on demand, home music jukeboxes, video games, and software delivery.

iBlast provides new markets and long-term commercial relationships for device manufacturers.

iBlast delivers an optimum solution to the digital dilemma and a new revenue source for broadcasters.

Q: Is iBlast an Internet Service Provider?
A: iBlast is not an Internet Service Provider. It complements and supplements the Internet by receiving larger files and content that the Internet does not efficiently deliver. Consumers will still need their Internet service provider to conduct two- way transactions, such as e-mail and e-commerce.

Q: How does the service work?
A: iBlast uses the transmitting towers of local TV stations to broadcast large media files and applications directly to PCs and eventually to TV set- top boxes and other receiving devices, such as game consoles and digital jukeboxes.

Q: Why use iBlast?
A: By using broadcasters' digital transmitters and towers to deliver digital content on a point-to-multipoint platform, iBlast can reach incremental end-users in a given market at no additional network cost. This economy of scale will allow iBlast to charge content distributors significantly less to distribute rich media than facilities-based Internet backbone providers that rely on expensive, point-to-point connectivity. Additionally, using iBlast eliminates costs associated with producing and distributing DVDs, CDs, and other "hard-copy" distribution schemes because the content is sent over the air, directly to the end-users hard drives.

Q: Is the content free, in addition to the service?
A: Some of the content broadcast on the iBlast network may be free, but some content may carry a cost to the consumer, either on a subscription or pay-per-use basis.

For example, a consumer could subscribe to a service, like popular music, new video releases or games, and would receive this content over the iBlast network on a recurring basis.

Q: Will consumers receive an abundance of applications that invade and overpopulate their hard drives?
A: Not at all. iBlast allows consumers to customize their iBlast experience. This personalized system will automatically filter content based on choices and history of activity.

Q: Will the television stations facilitating this service still be able to offer HDTV?
A: Absolutely. All iBlast stations will be able to broadcast HDTV simultaneously with iBlast programming.

iBlast believes that the best use of the digital spectrum is to offer a range of enhanced television services and programming in addition to HDTV.

Q: Is iBlast competing with the Internet?
A: No. iBlast complements the Internet and other digital content distribution platforms.

iBlast is not an Internet Service Provider (ISP). It supplements the Internet by delivering larger files and content that the Internet does not efficiently deliver. Consumers will still want their ISP to conduct two- way transactions, such as e-mail and e-commerce.

Q: Are there any potential security and/or virus issues with the iBlast service?
A: iBlast is a secure network for consumers and for content companies.

The iBlast network is secured by firewalls, and all content sent over the network is encrypted at the iBlast network operations center.

iBlast also supports any digital rights management technology used by content companies, as long as it is compatible with an IP-based architecture.

Q: How will iBlast spur consumer adoption?
A: iBlast is developing a comprehensive marketing program, including significant television advertising, retail point-of-sale programs, technology and content provider programs and other marketing alliances.

Key to these campaigns will be the ongoing marketing commitment provided by iBlast's founding broadcast partners, which provides ready-made, low- cost distribution for the iBlast message.

Technology

Q: How is the data transmitted?
A: iBlast broadcasts media-rich content from local TV stations directly to computers and other receiving devices. This one-way transport system allows content creators to broadcast their megabyte-heavy content to millions of people at once.

Q: Why wireless as a distribution medium?
A: Unlike telephone networks, which must be built out to accommodate more users, the television broadcasting stations are capable of reaching millions of homes at once. And the technology is already in place.

The television broadcasting stations are under a 1996 federal mandate to convert their systems to a new digital standard (ATSC). This digital standard allows local television stations to broadcast conventional programming, high- definition digital television and data.

In recent years, television stations across the nation have been upgrading their facilities to the digital standard. Already, almost 500 television stations have converted their equipment to the digital standard, reaching over 90% of all U.S. TV households. And these numbers are growing every day.

Q: As the Internet becomes more robust in its ability to efficiently transport rich media content, won't it ultimately prove more reliable and cost- efficient to deliver broadband content through the Internet?
A: It's unlikely. History indicates that the growth of the average file size contiues to outpace the growth of existing distribution capacity. So, even as consumers transition to broadband, the size of files increases to the point that even broadband can't accommodate them.

The majority of users will have more computing power and more disk storage than ever, yet will be more frustrated and under served by their slow narrowband dial-up connections.

Q: Is this considered a push technology consumers would feel invaded by or uncomfortable with?
A: No. Consumers will have free reign to choose and filter only the content they want.

Q: How will iBlast interface with digital video recording devices such as TiVo?
A: iBlast is building relationships with manufacturers of consumer electronics devices, including digital video recorders, which could work well as receivers of iBlast content.

Industry

Q: Isn't the iBlast network somewhat of a drawback for broadcasters as it drives consumers away from their television sets?
A: iBlast will not make broadcasters or their business obsolete. We believe that consumers won't be drawn away from their TV sets anymore than they are with the current content distribution schemes.

The various types of content we intend to send do not compete with television programming. iBlast will broadcast content that is more appropriate for the PC, the game console, the MP3 player, and the personal video recorder. iBlast simply brings value to the consumer by expanding their options.

Q: What will the role of the PC DTV Promotions Group be in pushing the datacasting technology? What is iBlast's role with this group?
A: The group is undertaking an awareness campaign to educate consumers and PC makers and stimulate demand and sales of DTV/HDTV receivers for PCs, as well as help move DTV along.

Under the leadership of Intel and Microsoft, both long-time proponents of DTV on the PC, the PC DTV Promoters Group is comprised of semiconductor and board suppliers, software firms and datacasting proponents. iBlast is an active member.

Q: Who are iBlast's partners?
A: The iBlast partners include 260 stations in 154 markets, including 49 of the top 50 markets.

iBlast's founding partners include Tribune Broadcasting, Gannett Company Inc., Cox Broadcasting, The Washington Post Company, The E. W. Scripps Company, Meredith Corporation, Media General Inc., The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., Lee Enterprises, The New York Times, Raycom Media, Inc., Smith Broadcasting Group Inc., Liberty Corporation, Northwest Broadcasting, Emmis Communications, Bahakel Communications, Ltd., Gray Communications Systems, Inc., Evening Post Publishing Company, Bonneville International Corporation, Journal Broadcast Group, Inc., Cocola Broadcasting Companies, Straightline Communications, JME Media and Ackerley Media.

Q: With 260 stations on board, will iBlast be looking for any more broadcast partners?
A: Yes. iBlast is currently in negotiations with several other broadcast groups and other digital distribution providers and intends to secure deals with at least two broadcast television stations in each of its markets and as many as four separate stations in some iBlast markets.

Q: Will the datacasting companies eventually agree upon some kind of resolution for an open-standards solution?
A: Yes. It is possible that the datacasting companies could all work with one another in some capacity.