CEA Commends Tauzin/Dingell Draft DTV Bill

26-Sep-02

The following statement was issued by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) regarding draft legislation prepared by House Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin (D-Louisiana) and House Commerce Committee Ranking Member John Dingell (D-Michigan) regarding the transition to digital television (DTV):""This draft legislation is a welcome, critical and helpful step toward driving the digital television transition. Our industry is extremely pleased with many of the provisions of this draft. We commend Chairman Tauzin and Rep. Dingell for directly addressing many of the most important issues surrounding this transition.""We especially appreciate the draft bill's focus on the single most important issue related to mass market acceptance of DTV--cable compatibility. The draft legislation would establish fair, pro-consumer requirements to ensure compatibility between digital cable and digital television products. Indeed, the draft's guarantees of nationwide portability and compatibility will finally allow all of America's 70 million cable households to participate in the DTV transition.""Specifically, we are particularly pleased that this draft bill ensures an ANSI-approved, basic national plug-and-play standard for digital cable. This standard will give consumers a choice in determining how they want to connect to their cable system and allow Americans to benefit from a competitive retail market for cable products. The draft also ensures that consumers can move their digital television or set-top box from one locality to another with confidence that it will work with the cable system in their new location.""Importantly, the draft bill forces broadcasters to meet their obligations under the DTV transition. Under this draft, consumers across the country will be able to tune to their local network affiliates and enjoy the full video and audio quality of the HDTV content provided by the major networks.""As a comprehensive bill, the draft contains many other provisions which require further review and discussion. We look forward to working closely with the Chairman, Rep. Dingell and the entire Congress as we move forward on final legislation that delivers our shared goal-- promoting a rapid, consumer-friendly transition to DTV.""