Intellectual Property Law

CEA Chief: DTV Transition Anxieties are Unnecessary

By Cynthia Brumfield

(Washington, DC) In a little less than a year, the nation's analog TV sets won't work without some kind of digital converter, a prospect fueling fears that clueless citizens won't know what to do when their analog-only sets go dark. But Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, thinks those fears are overblown.

Speaking at The Media Institute today, Shapiro said "If a few million American homes go without television for a day or two, I suspect the nation will survive." He pointed to the years-long preparation for the February 17, 2009 digital TV transition, the billion-dollar government set-top coupon program, the high take-rate for cable and satellite digital services, the record sales of digital TV sets and television PSAs as key factors that should make the transition as smooth as possible.

Suggesting that less than 10% of all homes will have analog-only capability by the transition date, Shapiro said that his organization is nevertheless "doing anything we can to bring the number of Americans who are not familiar with the transition...down to zero." "This is our Y2K in many ways...with lots of preparation and a lot of unnecessary anxiety."

If some people, particularly elderly shut-ins, don't get the message, it will only be a matter of days before they can tune back in to their favorite shows, he said. Aside from that transitory potential problem, the digital TV transition shouldn't be a cause for national concern. "This isn't about losing your home," Shapiro said, referring to the rising number of foreclosures in the wake of the mortgage crisis.

Shapiro did have a few choice words for the Community Broadcasters Association (CBA), the low-power TV association which has asked the FCC to order DTV converter box makers to construct their devices so that analog signals can still pass through to TV sets even after the transition. Most of the nation's 2,800 LPTV stations don't have to meet the February 17 deadline and most won't, CBA says.

The CBA has snoozed so it should lose, Shapiro (in effect) said. "At the 13th hour, they're trying to change the rules of the transition." Unlike other broadcasters and cable operators, LPTV stations have "done absolutely zero to educate the public" about the upcoming switch-over date.

Full post as published by IP Democracy on February 28, 2008 (boomark / email).