Hearing Tackles DTV Transition

All sides weighed in on the transition to digital television during a hearing held Wednesday by the House Telecommunications Subcommittee.

Michael Willner, vice chairman and CEO at Insight Communications and chairman of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, told lawmakers attending the hearing that "marketplace solutions will bring about results more efficiently than government imposed mandates."

But he noted that those pushing the DTV transition are frustrated by the lack of progress. "The cable industry has heard your message loud and clear. We remain dedicated, and in fact are actively working to find solutions through private sector negotiations," Willner said.

Michael Fiorile, president and CEO of the Dispatch Broadcast Group who testified on behalf of the National Association of Broadcasters, said broadcasters want to expedite he DTV transition. "The government needs to end the transition to reclaim spectrum. Bottom line - if the government wants to reclaim spectrum - it must take steps to accelerate the over-the-air transition," Fiorile said.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), which has fought mandates to force TV manufacturers to include digital TV tuners in future television sets, said draft legislation on the DTV transition has laudable provisions. Key points - such as cable compatibility, copy protection and commercial digital broadcasting - should receive serious consideration if ongoing inter-industry discussions and unilateral actions "do not provide fair, consumer-friendly results," CEA said.

The organization made its comments in conjunction with the hearing. "In the CE industry, DTV has arrived in force," said CEA Vice President of Technology Policy Michael Petricone. "More than 3.5 million Americans have invested nearly $7 billion in DTV. However, multiple roadblocks are still holding DTV back from true mass-market status."

From SkyReport (Used with Permission)