Mandatory DTV Receiver Standards Unnecessary For Efficient Spectrum Use, Says CEA

18-Mar-03

Echoing the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) promotion of efficient spectrum usage, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Vice President, Technology Policy Michael Petricone responded to an FCC Notice of Inquiry regarding proposed receiver performance specifications: ""CEA endorses the FCC's emphasis on promoting efficient use of spectrum. We are working closely with the Commission and specifically the FCC Spectrum Policy Task Force to ensure that sufficient spectrum opportunities exist as innovative new products and services come to market. ""We are pleased that the FCC indicated that it does not intend to pursue mandatory standards for receivers. CEA does not believe that mandatory standards for DTV or other receivers are necessary to achieve the goal of spectrum efficiency. Broadcast television is an important service relied upon by millions of Americans. The marketplace provides ample motivation to ensure that these consumers are well-served by DTV products, as it has with analog televisions. ""DTV tuner technology continues to move forward. Companies such as Broadcom, ATI, and LINX regularly introduce new tuner chips that meet increasing performance levels in multipath, impulse notice, adjacent, and co-channel interference. Meanwhile, in venues such as the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), broadcasters and DTV manufacturers are already engaged in voluntary discussions to ensure the effectiveness of DTV broadcast transmission.""Today's greatest impediment to reception of broadcast DTV signals is not tuner design, but rather the large number of broadcasters who are operating their DTV transmitters at low power. Of the 754 DTV broadcasters that are on the air, 422 broadcast at less than fully authorized power levels. As a result, millions of Americans within these stations service areas are unable to view digital signals. It is imperative the FCC ensures that all broadcasters are on the air and broadcasting DTV at full power levels as soon as possible.""For more information about the CEA, visit www.CE.org.

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