Sides Tackle DTV Transition at Hearing

[Gregg Lengling]

Members of the House Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee said they like what they see from the Federal Communications Commission and its Media Bureau concerning their plan for the digital TV transition.

The digital TV transition has been a priority for the FCC and Congress, and was the subject of a hearing conducted by the subcommittee Wednesday. The current deadline set by Congress for the transition is Dec. 31, 2006, or when 85 percent of U.S. TV households can receive a digital TV signal. Under the FCC's proposed plan the switchover date would be in 2009 and would adjust the 85 percent milestone to include DBS and cable subscribers.

Satellite TV interests at the hearing plugged the industry's ability to deliver digital TV today. "By offering a superior quality product at a competitive price, the DBS industry has not only given consumers a choice, but it has also accelerated the digital transition by introducing digital signals to the U.S. television industry," said Richard DalBello, president of the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association.

As for broadcasters, National Association of Broadcasters President Edward Fritts introduced at the hearing a proposal that allows a broadcaster to choose either must-carry of its digital signal or must-carry for its analog signal on a cable system. Fritts said the plan does not mandate dual carriage, "nor is it burdensome to cable operators and the FCC could adopt it today," he said.

"This is a plan that will expedite the digital TV transition rather than delay it. And, it calls for immediate action, rather than waiting five years. It is a plan that protects consumers' interests while accelerating the transition," Fritts said.

The NAB CEO said the proposal floated by the Media Bureau would wait until 2009 "to focus exclusively on retrieving the analog spectrum at the expense of consumers and to the detriment of local television."

Robert Sachs, president of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, said the Media Bureau's proposal for the down-conversion of a digital broadcast signal to analog at a cable headend "would be the most cost-efficient way to continue to serve these millions of sets."