Reaction to Digital TV Legislation

TIME TO PUT TV REMOTE BACK IN VIEWERS' HANDS
It is now time for policymakers to take the next step in the digital TV transition -- putting the remote control back into viewers hands -- by outlining basic public interest obligations for broadcasters to ensure that the public's airwaves indeed meet the public's needs. The House approved early Monday legislation which sets a date certain for the end of analog TV broadcasts in the US. What remains uncertain is what kind of content consumers should expect in the age of digital television. The transition from analog to digital television does not just represent a technological change, but an important opportunity to reassess whether the public's airwaves are being used to meet the public's needs. Ironically, Congress's action comes just days after the sixth anniversary of the FCC's opening of the public interest obligation for digital television broadcaster's proceeding -- which still asks a number of critical questions in the digital television transition which have yet to be answered. As the final decisions about the DTV transition now move to the Federal Communications Commission, critical questions remain unanswered: Will DTV broadcasters provide the necessary civic programming before elections necessary for an informed democracy, or will democracy itself be left behind? Will the DTV future include a variety of voices and views, or will the nation's diversity be left behind? Will DTV provide truly educational content, or will our children be left behind? Will DTV programming be accessible, or will people with sight- or hearing-impairments be left behind? Recently, the FCC's own Consumer Advisory Committee called on the Commission to answer these questions by June 2006. Charles Benton said, "With the DTV transition now certain, the FCC needs to provide the same certainty for how the DTV transition will serve the public's interest."
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/953
DIGITAL TV AGREEMENT WILL RENDER MILLIONS OF TV SETS UNWORKABLE
“The consumer compensation program established in this program is unworkable, unfair and unacceptable to consumers,” said Jeannine Kenney of Consumers Union. “It provides only a fraction of the funds needed to compensate consumers for the costs of a digital transition they never asked for. And by requiring consumers to jump through restrictive hoops to request vouchers, those who most need compensation will be the least likely to receive it.” Four in ten households own a total of up to 80 million televisions that will require the converter boxes expected to cost $60 or more each. Many of these households include minorities, the elderly and low income families. And because the bill does not authorize cable companies to convert broadcast digital signals to analog, tens of millions of cable customers are unlikely to receive local broadcasts without expensive digital cable boxes. Kenney noted that the bill sets aside only $5 million for consumer education. “Consumers will have no idea what’s coming and what they need to do to prepare for it, making it likely that tens of millions of televisions sets will go black on February 17, 2009.”
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_telecom_and_utilities/002990.html...
NAB RESPONSE TO DTV LEGISLATION
"NAB is pleased that the House included many pro-consumer DTV provisions in the budget reconciliation bill. We are especially encouraged that the legislation thwarts the cable industry's desire to degrade delivery of HDTV pictures to consumers. We strongly urge Senate adoption of this legislation."
http://www.nab.org/newsroom/pressrel/statements/121905_Budget_Recon_Stat...
NCTA RESPONDS TO DTV TRANSITION LEGISLATION
"We applaud the leadership of Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton in forging consensus on legislation that will complete the digital TV transition by establishing February 17, 2009 as a hard date for the return of the analog TV spectrum. The cable industry has long supported the important national public policy goal of completing the digital TV transition. After investing billions of dollars to bring the digital future to consumers, both cable operators and programmers stand ready to deliver. We'll continue to work hard to educate consumers about the transition, and to help prepare all Americans for the 2009 transition date."
http://www.ncta.com/press/press.cfm?PRid=652&showArticles=ok
TIA APPLAUDS CONGRESSIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR RECONCILING DTV LEGISLATION
"We applaud the efforts of Congress and greatly appreciate the provisions in the deficit reduction legislation that allocate a portion of the revenue raised during the auction of recovered broadcast spectrum to fund the needs of our first responders for interoperable communications systems," comments TIA President Matthew J. Flanigan. Once the transition is completed, the availability of additional spectrum will allow for the emergence of innovative products and services, improve wireless communications for public safety agencies, and stimulate jobs and the U.S. economy."
http://www.tiaonline.org/media/press_releases/index.cfm?parelease=05-91