WASHINGTON – American high-tech leaders this week urged the U.S. Congress to finalize digital television transition, in a word, “now.”
Thirty-one CEOs and corporate presidents of leading U.S. high-tech companies are calling on the House and Senate Commerce Committees to enact a hard date for the conclusion of the transition from analog to digital television.
Among the leaders signing the letter, which the High Tech DTV Coalition sent to every member of Congress, are: Alcatel North America President and CEO Hubert de Pesquidoux, Aloha Partners President and CEO Charles Townsend, AT&T Chairman and CEO David Dorman, Cisco Systems President and CEO John Chambers, Dell President and CEO Kevin Rollins, Intel Corporation Chairman Craig R. Barrett, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, QUALCOMM CEO Paul E. Jacobs, Texas Instruments President and CEO Richard K. Templeton, and T-Mobile USA President and CEO Robert Dotson.
"The completion of the DTV transition will free up spectrum that will provide tremendous opportunities to promote growth in the United States economy," the CEOs wrote. "We encourage you to pass legislation that would complete the transition at the earliest possible date, but in no event later than January 1, 2009."
The October 12, 2005 letter estimated 1.2 million jobs would result from extending wireless broadband access to all Americans. The letter stressed the economic benefits of using the newly freed spectrum resulting from the transition to extend broadband Internet access and next-generation mobile services to all Americans.
"New and innovative technologies that will help meet the goal of universal, affordable broadband access are already being developed and readied for early deployment in this spectrum," they said. The CEOs also noted the benefits to the country of releasing spectrum for public safety communications upgrades, as recommended by the 9/11 Commission.
"These CEOs, who are leading their companies in wireless innovation, underscore the need for Congress to quickly enact a hard date completing the DTV transition," said High Tech DTV Coalition Executive Director Janice Obuchowski. "We applaud the efforts of the House and Senate committee leadership to move rapidly toward legislation that will bring consumer and homeland security benefits to Americans and put this spectrum to its highest and best use."
Several reports out of Washington today say that the tech leaders may get their wish. According to Reuters and other services, a draft bill has been introduced by Senate Commerce Committee chairman Ted Stevens calling for a hard date of April 7, 2009.
If passed, analog TV service would be shut down for good in the U.S. that day and tens of millions of analog TV sets would no longer be able to receive TV over the air, but would still be able to if connected to cable or satellite.
The draft bill also calls for over US$400 million in funding for digital converters for all those analog sets.
