NAB, CEA Assume Position on Tuners
by John Eggerton
Broadcasting & Cable
7/27/2005 5:49:00 PM
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA630336.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP
The consumer electronics industries and broadcasters lined up as expected
on the issue of advancing the DTV tuner mandate deadline (the mandate
upheld by Supreme Court nominee John Roberts when he was on the D.C. court
of appeals, by the way).
The FCC proposed last month to advance the date for TV's to include DTV
tuners by six months, from July 1, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2006. It also proposed
extending that mandate to TV's less than 13 inches in screen size.
The Consumer Electronics Association told the FCC in its comments that
accelerating and expanding the schedule to include sets as small as 13
inches would disrupt the marketplace and raise the price on smaller sets,
which would harm lower-income consumers.
For its part, the National Association of Broadcasters--joined by the
industry spectrum watchdog group, Association for Maximum Service
Television, applauded advancing the deadline, adding that "to ensure that
consumers have such access during the crucial holiday and Super Bowl
selling seasons, the Commission should explore the feasibility of an even
earlier date," according to a summary of the comments from NAB.
As for little sets, NAB played the emergency communications card--one of
its strong suits--saying that "extending the DTV tuner mandate to receivers
with screen sizes less than 13" as soon as practicable would ensure that
these sets and the unique benefits they provide during times of emergency
will function in the post-transition environment."
NAB and CEA are the chicken and egg in the DTV transition debate, with
broadcasters saying they need the sets to drive the cornucopia of digital
offerings just waiting to burst forth, while set makers say they need the
"bursting forth" before there is a market for the sets.
The FCC is in the middle trying to get the DTV transition moving so that it
can reclaim analog spectrum, turn some of it over to emergency responders,
and auction more to collect some needed money for the treasury.
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
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