Apr 9, 2008

As everyone reading this site hopefully knows, television broadcasters in the U.S. are required by law to switch from analog to digital television (DTV) signals on February 17th.

The deadline that has been more than 10 years in the making is now only 10 months away, and there's been growing interest in ensuring that all Americans are prepared for the transition when it happens -- particularly the approximately 15% of U.S. households that rely on over-the-air signals.

Leaders from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) appeared before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet last month to discuss their efforts to educate consumers about the transition, and FCC chairman Kevin Martin was on Capitol Hill again this week to give the Senate Commerce Committee an update and to ask for additional funding from the House Appropriations Committee.

Congress has authorized $2.5 million for the FCC's DTV consumer education programs this year, and Chairman Martin requested an additional $20 million in FY 2009 funding to expand those efforts.

He gave some insight into how that money would be spent in his testimony before the Senate yesterday (click here for an archived Webcast). He outlined a variety of educational and outreach programs the FCC is undertaking to get the word out, including displaying materials in post offices and motor vehicle departments (neither idea was a hit at the Capitol Valley blog). The Commission is also partnering with local mayoral offices and professional sports leagues like the NFL and NBA, and has been investing in advertising and conference appearances to target specific audiences.

The government isn't the only spending one money to inform consumers about the DTV switch though. Chairman Martin credited industry for its efforts as well, pointing out that the National Association of Broadcasters and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association have invested $700 million and $200 million, respectively, on educational campaigns about the transition.

This NTIA resource site explains the transition, and how to apply for the converter box coupon program.

Tags: Congress, Digital TV transition, DTV, FCC, Kevin Martin