Chris Blount
05-13-05, 05:02 AM
Skirmishes between broadcasters and consumer electronics interests concerning the digital TV transition continued to flare up before the end of the work week, with the most recent salvo between the sides reaching Capitol Hill.
The latest from the CE industry came from Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association. He told attendees at the Advanced Television Systems Committee's (ATSC) annual meeting that broadcasters need to figure out a business model that actually works for them in the digital age and sell U.S. consumers what they really want - HDTV.
"Who will be disenfranchised and not receive a TV signal after the cut-off has been a major concern for all involved in the transition?" asked Shapiro. "Recent figures from CEA show the percentage of American homes that rely only on an over-the-air signal is low and shrinking."
Shapiro said that data suggests 87 percent of U.S. homes have access to cable or satellite. More pipelines capable of carrying video programming - including fiber optic lines, DSL, telephone lines and power lines - are moving into U.S. homes, "jeopardizing the monopoly once enjoyed by broadcasters," he said.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Broadcasters went on the attack within the halls of Congress. NAB's Eddie Fritts wrote Rep. Joe Barton, the Texas Republican and chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, refuting CEA claims that few consumers rely on over-the-air broadcasting, saying recent data from the GAO and elsewhere demonstrate much wider use of off-air broadcasting services.
"Today, there are 73 million over-the-air television receivers not hooked to cable or satellite. CEA's cavalier dismissal of these viewers ignores the potential for consumer outrage if millions of people prematurely lose access to this programming," Fritts said in his letter sent Thursday. "Moreover, disenfranchising huge numbers of Americans from access to local TV should not be based on misleading data from a trade group of offshore receiver manufacturers."
http://www.skyreport.com (Used with permission)
The latest from the CE industry came from Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association. He told attendees at the Advanced Television Systems Committee's (ATSC) annual meeting that broadcasters need to figure out a business model that actually works for them in the digital age and sell U.S. consumers what they really want - HDTV.
"Who will be disenfranchised and not receive a TV signal after the cut-off has been a major concern for all involved in the transition?" asked Shapiro. "Recent figures from CEA show the percentage of American homes that rely only on an over-the-air signal is low and shrinking."
Shapiro said that data suggests 87 percent of U.S. homes have access to cable or satellite. More pipelines capable of carrying video programming - including fiber optic lines, DSL, telephone lines and power lines - are moving into U.S. homes, "jeopardizing the monopoly once enjoyed by broadcasters," he said.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Broadcasters went on the attack within the halls of Congress. NAB's Eddie Fritts wrote Rep. Joe Barton, the Texas Republican and chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, refuting CEA claims that few consumers rely on over-the-air broadcasting, saying recent data from the GAO and elsewhere demonstrate much wider use of off-air broadcasting services.
"Today, there are 73 million over-the-air television receivers not hooked to cable or satellite. CEA's cavalier dismissal of these viewers ignores the potential for consumer outrage if millions of people prematurely lose access to this programming," Fritts said in his letter sent Thursday. "Moreover, disenfranchising huge numbers of Americans from access to local TV should not be based on misleading data from a trade group of offshore receiver manufacturers."
http://www.skyreport.com (Used with permission)