DTV Consumer Education Workshop Dec 4

The Commission has released the agenda for its Digital Television Consumer Education Workshop focusing on minority and non-English-speaking communities to be held Tuesday, December 4, 2007, at FCC Headquarters, 445 12th St., S.W., Washington, DC, in the Commission Meeting Room. It will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 12:15 p.m.

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Pre-Program Demonstrations of Digital-to-Analog Converter Boxes

9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Welcome
FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate

9:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. How to Reach Minority Communities and Non-English Speakers on the DTV Transition

Moderator: Cathy Seidel, Chief, FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau

Roundtable Participants:

Hilary Shelton, Director, Washington Bureau, NAACP

Michael Sherman, General Manager, KTSF (broadcasting Asian-language programming in the San Francisco television market since 1976)

Univision Communications, Inc. (invited)

Brent Wilkes, National Executive Director, League of United Latin American Citizens

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Break
Attendees are encouraged to view the digital-to-analog converter box demonstrations.

10:45 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. Greetings
FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell

10:50 a.m. – 12:05 p.m. How to Provide Support to Minority Communities and Non-English Speakers on the DTV Transition

Moderator: Cathy Seidel, Chief, FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau

Roundtable Participants:

Lisa Bland Malone, Vice President, National Urban League Policy Institute

Victor Cabral, Senior Counsel, NBC/Telemundo

Vincent A. Eng, Deputy Director, Asian American Justice Center

Betty Valdés, President, DC Chapter of REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information
Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking

Daniel R. Wilson, Executive Director of Policy and Program Development, The National Caucus and Center on Black Aged, Inc.

12:05p.m. – 12:15 p.m. Wrap Up

12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Demonstrations Continue

The purpose of the Workshop is to provide an opportunity for interested parties to discuss the challenges associated with ensuring that minority communities and non-English-speakers receive and can act on information regarding the upcoming transition and to explore ways to develop coordinated consumer education activities. There will also be a demonstration of digital-to-analog converter boxes. An agenda for the Workshop is attached.

A live webcast of the Workshop will be available at the FCC’s website at http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/#dec4 on a first-come, first-served basis. During the Workshop, the public can e-mail questions for the panelists to dtvworkshop@fcc.gov.

Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Include a description of the accommodation you will need with as much detail as possible. Also include a way we can contact you if we need more information. Send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY).

For more information about the Workshop, please contact Pam Slipakoff at (202) 418-7705, pam.slipakoff@fcc.gov, or Lauren Patrich at (202) 418-7944, lauren.patrich@fcc.gov.