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A revolution is coming to television sets across this country. In fewer than 500 days, television broadcasters will switch from analog to digital signals. This change holds tremendous promise. Viewers can expect sharper pictures, crisper sounds, and whole new channels through multicasting. The switch to digital also means more spectrum for our nation’s first responders. These are all good things. Like with any revolution, however, these rewards come with an undercurrent of risk. As many as 21 million households rely exclusively on over-the-air television. If their sets go dark, they will be disconnected from news, public safety announcements, and community information. To prevent this from happening, we have task forces, expos, workshops, and industry-led publicity campaigns. Despite these efforts, the American public is still not well educated about the transition, the coupon program, where to find boxes, and how to attach them to their sets. In too many ways, our transition from analog can go askance. Instead of a digital revolution, we may find ourselves with a digital disaster. The time has come to manage the mechanics of the DTV transition with the American public in mind. First, we must develop a federal interagency DTV task force to marshal resources across the government and maximize our chances for a smooth transition. Second, we need to recognize that national messages will only take so us so far. What works in Houston may not work in Honolulu. Questions about the impact of tower construction and the presence of translator stations require local answers. We need the equivalent of DTV “block captains” who are ready, willing, and able to provide this information in every designated media market in this country. Finally, we must identify ways to measure our progress in each market in this country. Then we must use this data to determine what further efforts are needed. I look forward to working with our witnesses to ensure that in the digital revolution of our time no citizen is left behind.
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