DTV Day on Capitol Hill Sheds Light on Status of Transition
Feature Story by Katie Guzman - 7/15/2008
July 8 was "DTV Day" on Capitol Hill, as congressional staff members learned about the challenges posed by the February 17, 2009, digital television (DTV) transition. On that day, most television stations will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to digital.
Panel discussions held by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other federal agencies described why the transition is taking place, where to obtain converter boxes that allow analog TVs to receive a digital signal, and how consumers can request government coupons to reduce the cost of the converter boxes.
Although many government, industry, and community groups have undertaken efforts to inform consumers about the DTV transition, panelists agreed that Congress also has an important role to play in raising the public's level of awareness of the transition.
Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), warned that if Congress did not take action to make sure the transition will run smoothly, Congress members would be the first to receive calls from consumers whose television sets "go dark" on February 17.
The DTV Transition Coalition, of which LCCR is a member, is working to ensure that no one is left without television service due to a lack of information about the transition. The Coalition is reaching out to people who are part of society's most vulnerable communities -- minorities, seniors, households on fixed incomes, people with disabilities and rural Americans -- to inform them about the transition and how to be prepared for it.
LCCR recently issued a report identifying problems with the transition, including a lack of leadership by the federal agencies working on the transition as well as a continuing lack of public awareness, and provided Congress with recommendations on how the federal government can promote a smooth transition.
The recommendations include:
- Provide more consumer outreach, education and research;
- Reduce the costs of the transition for consumers; and
- Preserve access to low-power community stations and stations in rural areas.
In addition, Zirkin said that there is no plan to deal with problems on or after the switch to digital on February 17. "Executive agencies and Congress need to develop a rapid response plan for when there are people left in the dark," said Zirkin.
