WASHINGTON – While denying a request from electronics makers and sellers to put the brakes on digital television conversion, the Federal Communications Commission went a step farther by actually speeding up the process.
On Thursday, the FCC denied an application by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Consumer Electronics Retailers Association (CERC) to delay the date by which 50% of mid-size TV receivers manufactured and imported must include built-in digital television (DTV) tuners, announced a press release.
Then, “to further its efforts to ensure that consumers are able to receive off-the-air digital broadcast television services, the FCC also moved up the date by which all mid-sized TV sets must include a digital television (DTV) tuner,” added the release.
In Canada, our CRTC has taken no such position on the construction of television sets or the elimination of analog carriage. The sets – and programming – are spilling over the border here, setting the pace of change for us.
The Commission’s rules already provide that all large TV sets (36” and larger) must have built-in DTV tuners by July 1, 2005. Those rules also provide that 50% of mid-sized sets (25” to 36”) must have DTV tuners by that date, and that all mid-sized sets must have DTV tuners by July 1, 2006. The rules also provide that all receivers with a screen size 13” or more, as well as other all other TV receiving devices (such as VCRs, DVDRs, etc.) must have DTV tuners by July 1, 2007.
The CEA and CERC asked the Commission to eliminate the 50% requirement for mid-sized sets, and to move up the date for full compliance for mid-sized sets to March 1, 2006 to address certain difficulties posed by the 50%. In its “Report and Order”, the Commission denied the request for elimination of the intermediate 50% compliance deadline, stating that such an action would delay the wider dissemination of DTV tuners in products of this size and would be inconsistent with its efforts to advance the DTV transition as rapidly as possible.
The Commission did move up the date for 100% compliance for mid-sized TV receivers from July 1, 2006 to March 1, 2006, the earliest feasible date according to the industry, says the release.
“Congress’s decision to mandate the digital television transition requires the Commission to take an unusually direct role in overseeing the manufacturing and sale of television receivers,” said commissioner Kathleen Abernathy. “Having embarked on this important transition ? which will deliver high-value broadcasting services to consumers, enable exciting new broadband applications to be developed, and provide more spectrum for public safety uses ? we cannot take any steps backward. Rather, we need to push the transition to its conclusion as expeditiously as possible.”
In the same action, the Commission proposed to move up the date by which all TV receivers with screen size 13” or larger and other TV receiving devices, i.e., those without a viewing screen, must have DTV tuners from July 1, 2007, to a date no later than December 31, 2006, the statutory target date for the end of the DTV transition and the corresponding end of analog broadcast television transmissions. TV interface devices should be required to meet this timetable.
Finally it asked whether a DTV tuner requirement should be extended to TV receivers with a screen size smaller than 13.” Public comment is sought on these proposals.
