Digital TV Coalition Calls for House Subcommittee to Address Consumer Concerns in Digital TV Transition Plan

Digital TV Coalition Calls for House Subcommittee to Address Consumer Concerns in Digital TV Transition Plan

WASHINGTON, May 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Coalition for a Smart Digital TV Transition is calling on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet to address consumer concerns that are currently missing from the "Staff Draft" of the DTV Transition Bill during its hearing on May 26 at 11:30 a.m.

"It is critical that consumers relying on over-the-air reception of broadcast television, together with the 73 million owners of analog television sets, are not disenfranchised by this transition," said Manuel Mirabal, Co- Chair and Founder, Hispanic Technology & Telecommunications Partnership.

Coalition members, including consumer, minority, labor, and communications and agricultural groups, are concerned about three critical elements that are currently missing from the proposed/draft digital television plan as these elements disproportionately affect minority and rural consumers.

The Coalition outlined its three primary changes to the proposed legislation:

* The Legislation must include a provision to compensate low-income
Americans for the cost of set-top converter boxes;

* The legislation should authorize multicast must-carry;

* The legislation needs to ensure that cable systems provide subscribers
with traditional, analog televisions with the signal from all local
broadcasters, while also providing the full, HDTV signal to those
subscribers who have invested in a digital television set.

"While this proposed plan is a good first step, it does not fully address the needs of Hispanic and other minority consumers, who will need special assistance with the transition," said Mirabal. "We will continue working with the House and Senate to ensure the final plan addresses these issues."

"America's farmers and other rural consumers are pleased that Congress has pushed back the digital television transition to December 31, 2008," said Larry Mitchell, spokesperson, the Alliance for Rural Television. "However, it is vital that the legislation mitigate the economic impact to rural residents who will be required to purchase expensive equipment to receive programming via free over-the-air, cable or satellite broadcasting. In sparsely populated areas with little or no access to traditional cable or satellite systems, there will be disproportionate impact to rural residents -- often on a fixed- income -- and to rural schools, libraries, hospitals and nursing homes."

"Congress must require local channels, multicast must-carry and new innovative channels to be available to ensure rural residents have continued access to local weather and news which is vital to their continued safety and success," concluded Mitchell.

More information about the Coalition for a Smart Digital TV Transition can be found at http://www.smartdigitaltvtransition.com/.

* Current coalition members include:
* National Consumers League
* Hispanic Technology & Telecommunications Partnership
* International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
* National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-
* Communications Workers of America
* The Alliance for Rural Television
* Board of Governors of the FOX Affiliates
* CBS Television Network Affiliates Association
* NBC Television Affiliates

Source: Coalition for a Smart Digital TV Transition

CONTACT: Didi Blackwood, +1-202-530-4516, for Coalition for a Smart
Digital TV Transition

Web site: http://www.smartdigitaltvtransition.com/

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