Transition in Trouble: Transition Awareness is Low; Consumers and Retailers are Confused; Outreach Efforts are Inadequate

Transition in Trouble

Transition Awareness is Low; Consumers and Retailers are Confused; Outreach Efforts are Inadequate

Recent surveys indicate that although consumer awareness and understanding of the digital television transition is increasing, it is still far too low. A June 2008 survey released by the National Association of Broadcasters found that while 90 percent of total U.S. households were aware of the upcoming digital television transition, and awareness among Hispanics was also 90 percent, awareness was only 84 percent among African-American households.³³ The same survey reported 39 percent of African-American households and 29 percent of Hispanic households that rely exclusively on over-the-air television incorrectly believe they will not be affected by the transition, figures that are slightly higher than the rest of the nation.³⁴

An earlier poll released by Consumer Reports found similar lack of awareness and confusion: 74 percent of those polled had "major misconceptions" about the transition. Confusion was rampant about who would be impacted by the transition, when it would occur, what actions were necessary to transition to digital TV, and other issues.³⁵ FCC Commissioner Adelstein said, "The good news is that surveys from Consumers Union and the broadcast industry show that more Americans are becoming aware of the DTV transition. The bad news is that there is still a lot of confusion that could turn into widespread panic if the government doesn't take a more proactive role."³⁶

Interestingly, an online survey conducted in May 2008 by Bridgevine.com found "36 percent (of the survey respondents) said they were not prepared for the digital transition and another 6 percent were completely unaware of the conversion." Vinny Olmstead, CEO of Bridgevine, expressed concern, stating, "With a customer base that is generally quite savvy about digital services and related issues, we were surprised by the number of those people who are not prepared for the transition. The survey results clearly indicate a lapse in consumer education and strongly suggest that additional awareness initiatives around the switch to digital are needed for consumers nationwide."³⁷

In another revealing illustration of consumer confusion and lack of preparedness for the digital transition, Nielsen Media Research will push back its broadcast television "sweeps" that occur in February of each year to March for 2009 because it fears the digital transition in February will be disruptive and that only "most homes" in its audience ratings sample will be ready for the digital transition. Nielsen also has canceled all vacations for its field representatives in January and February of 2009 to better cope with problems it foresees in the transition.³⁸

As the Leadership Conference and the then-Democratic minority warned at the time, it is now apparent that the $5 million that Congress appropriated to NTIA to educate consumers about the digital transition and the coupon program is woefully inadequate to support the kind of public education effort that the transition requires. Public education campaigns are not unlike state election campaigns in terms of scope. Therefore, consider California, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, whose combined population is approximately 21 million households - comparable to the number of households that will likely need to be educated on the digital television transition. The cost of a Senate campaign in Ohio in 2006 was nearly $9 million; for all three, it was approximately $39 million.

For these reasons, LCCR wrote to members of Congress seeking additional funding for a targeted grassroots consumer outreach campaign to ensure that at-risk individuals - seniors, individuals residing in rural areas, people with disabilities, and minorities - do not lose their television service when their local television stations, as mandated by Congress, cease transmission of analog broadcast and switch to digital television signals. After all, voters will look to Congress if their televisions suddenly stop receiving the broadcast stations or programs they rely on.

It is critical that more federal, state, and local agencies, public and private, conduct outreach efforts to their clients. While both NTIA and the FCC are committed to educating consumers about the transition and the coupon program, a public education effort of this magnitude should not be limited to only a few agencies. At a minimum, every federal agency should be required to participate in educational outreach, and if possible, serve as a site where coupon applications can be distributed. These efforts should also be replicated at the state and local levels.

For example, there are a number of federal assistance programs, such as those administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which could be tapped to help. To reach the elderly, the aging network represents a great resource. The Administration on Aging, State Units, and Area Agencies on Aging (AAA's), along with the wide range of service providers they fund, could play critical roles in education and outreach. Some direct service providers, such as some Meals on Wheels programs and local senior centers, are already engaged in outreach efforts; these voluntary efforts would be strengthened if the respective federal agencies were required to provide support and assistance. Low income assistance programs, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program should also be engaged in distributing information to the low-income population most vulnerable in this transition.

In addition, the effort to ensure that all Americans retain access to over-the-air digital television should not be left to government and industry alone; the lack of sufficient resources within the digital television transition consumer education effort to support nonprofit, social justice, or community-based organizations further limits the scope of public education efforts that will be possible. Private charitable organizations that work directly with the populations most at-risk need to be engaged, but they need support. These grassroots groups can - and will - conduct the training workshops; develop and disseminate the informational materials that are linguistically appropriate and in alternate forms (Braille, audiotapes, ASCII disk, large font, closed captioned); and provide the technical assistance that will help the low-income households, minorities, limited English-speaking families, seniors, and persons with disabilities who are most dependent on television make the transition.

The Leadership Conference is committed to working with our community-based member organizations, including groups that serve populations who speak languages other than English, and those that assist working families such as unions and religious organizations, to make sure their members know about the transition and the coupon program. However, based on our decades of outreach experience, we are skeptical about the success of these efforts without additional resources.

Resources are also required to fund sufficient independent research and polling to make sure that messages about the digital television transition are effective for these populations. We will need to know who is taking advantage of the coupon program during the first phase of the process, so that NTIA knows how to respond or whether and where to deploy additional funds. The government can play an important role in conducting this research through the GAO, with Congress tracking the progress.

Such research can answer, for example, whether there is too heavy a reliance on the Internet to educate consumers about the transition, when many of the consumers most impacted by the transition, such as non-English speakers, seniors, people with disabilities, and the poor, are disproportionately impacted by the Digital Divide and less likely to access the Internet.³⁹ Are educational materials culturally sensitive, linguistically appropriate, and readily available in alternate formats so that they fully inform members of these disproportionately impacted communities? Are there sufficient customer service representatives trained in languages other than English, or in assisting people with disabilities, to help all who are confused about the transition or the coupon program?

As Senator Maria Cantwell, D. Wash., recently observed, there is a "great sense of confusion" about the digital transition and if people aren't better informed, there could be "a train wreck for American consumers."⁴⁰ We must make sure that vulnerable communities avoid this train wreck and, after the transition is complete, retain access to their critical broadcast television lifeline to news, weather, and emergency alerts.

The digital transition is not the time for members of Congress to be "penny-wise and pound-foolish," for they will ultimately suffer the wrath of consumers and voters if the digital transition is a failure. It is imperative that, to ensure a successful transition, Congress appropriate additional funding for education, outreach, and research.

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33. 50 State Digital TV Transition Awareness Trends, survey by National Association of Broadcasters, June 2008.

34. Id.

35. NAB Survey Says… 79 percent of Consumers Aware of DTV Transition, Broadcasting & Cable, January 30, 2008.

36. Id.

37. Survey: More Than 40 Percent Unprepared for Upcoming Analog-to-Digital Transition, Business Wire, May 5, 2008.

38. Nielsen Issues DTV Plan to Clients, Media Week, April 30, 2008.

39. See Solving the Persistent Problem of the Digital Divide, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, September 27, 2005.

40. Many Viewers Confused About Digital Broadcasting, Associated Press, April 20, 2008.