Powell Offers Voluntary DTV Plan

[John Corn]

In a surprise move, Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell unveiled a plan Thursday that he hopes will jump-start the digital-television transition.

The plan, contained in a letter to Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.), included several proposals affecting the cable industry. However, Powell said his plan was 'voluntary' and would not prejudge the outcome of pending digital-TV rulemakings.

The plan is likely to please television-station owners, which have urged the FCC to put pressure on the cable industry and equipment makers to assist in the digital transition.

In a prepared statement, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association neither endorsed nor opposed Powell's plan.

Full Story (http://www.tvinsite.com/index.asp?layout=print_page&doc_id=79755&articleID=)

[Mark Lamutt]

Boy howdy, that's a nice pipe dream. And here in Denver we have about 25 people that live up in the hills near the transmission towers completely blocking any move towards getting high power DTV transmission by tying up the process in court, accusing the stations that broadcast from there of killing people with their harmful radiation, and by bribing county officials to deny all applications for digital transmitter installation on the site where the stations have been broadcasting from for the last 55 years.

No, I'm not bitter by this... but this plan may help the rest of the country out who has already entered the 21 century.

[invaliduser88]

That sucks! In Houston the only thing getting radiated are cows where the towers are located! How if PBS would just crank up the watts here.