Digital Transition Coalition Forms to Advance Transition to Digital TV

Groups Want Switch Over By End Of 2006

22-Apr-04

Leaders of a wide spectrum of organizations announced the formation of the Digital Transition Coalition (DTC). The coalition will engage in a campaign designed to speed up the transition to digital television and ensure the return of critical spectrum back to the American taxpayer for use in new technologies. Members of the coalition will include Americans for Tax Reform, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, EchoStar Communications Corp., Frontiers of Freedom, Media Access Project, Public Knowledge, and the Small Business Survival Committee.""Congress took an important step towards ensuring a digital future when they man-dated that broadcasters provide a digital signal on par with their analog service by 2002,"" said George Landrith, President of Frontiers of Freedom. ""Unfortunately, we are now almost two years past that deadline and more than 60-percent of television stations have still not met that obligation.""""We have come together as taxpayer groups, consumer advocates and technology leaders to fight for policies which will finally make the transition a reality,"" added Landrith.The Coalition will seek to achieve the following goals: Foster the immediate availability of the network DTV signals to all consumers nationwide; The immediate redeployment of the analog spectrum dedicated for public safety access nationwide; The return of the broadcaster's analog spectrum by December 31, 2006; and the re-auctioning of the analog spectrum by the FCC no later than December 31, 2007.The Coalition will be tracking and speaking out on various policy proposals that will advance these goals with political expediency. A number of plans have emerged in recent months to speed the transition to Digital TV and return the analog spectrum. These include plans advanced by the FCC's Media Bureau, the Satellite Industry, Motorola, and Public Broadcasters. As part of the Coalition's launch today was the unveiling of a website -- www.IWantMyHDTV.com -- to provide information on the campaign to speed up the transition and to encourage citizen support for legislative proposals that will achieve the goals. The website will provide information about legislation and proposals, along with academic studies and any advocacy on behalf of the digital transition goal. It will also provide citizens an avenue for communicating their opinions to Congress on these issues. The site is being funded by members of the coalition to help advance this important goal.""Ultimately we need to deliver digital television to American consumers as soon as possible and ensure the return of the analog spectrum to the American taxpayer,"" said Tom Schatz, President of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste. ""The American public is demanding access to more digital programming, which represents the future of technology, and lawmakers need to give the industry the tools to deliver that programming,"" added Schatz. ""Rural Americans in particular have been left out of the digital revolution by their local broadcasters and its time for another solution.""""Local broadcasters are currently sitting on, what a number of analysts have estimated at, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of analog spectrum that Congress gave them to make this transition,"" said Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform. ""By taking steps to speed up the transition, we can ensure that this spectrum is returned by December 31, 2006 as required."" ""Once the spectrum is returned it can be re-auctioned at a significant value to the American taxpayer,"" added Norquist. ""In the current budget situation, it is vital that this valuable spectrum is returned to the taxpayer. Additionally, this return will allow new generations of technology such as WiFi and 3G, as well as law enforcement, to take advantage of the new spectrum.""The Digital Transition Coalition is comprised of consumer organizations, taxpayer groups, technology providers, and other interested parties dedicated to expediting the transition to a digital future. The DTC wants to maximize the use of spectrum to allow optimal innovation and utilization to meet growing consumer demand. For more information please visit www.digitaltransitioncoalition.org. For more information, please visit www.IWantMyHDTV.com.

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