COMMERCE DEPUTY SECRETARY SAM BODMAN AWARDS $399,853 TO HELP REMOVE
STANDARD RELATED TRADE BARIERS AND GROW
AMERICAN JOBS
Commerce Deputy Secretary Sam Bodman today awarded $399,853 to the
Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) Forum to help fund
its Hemispheric Digital Television (DTV) Initiative. The awarded
funds are expected to help generate nearly $7.8 billion in exports
to Latin America and create close to 156,000 jobs for the American
people by 2014.
“The
Department of Commerce is pleased to partner with the ATSC Forum
on this project,” said Bodman. “This partnership reflects
the Bush Administration’s commitment to opening new markets,
creating and sustaining high-quality jobs, and encouraging the right
conditions for American businesses to innovate, compete and prosper.”
The
money will help give ATSC Forum the maximum leverage in encouraging
policy makers and industry leaders in Latin America on the adoption
of its standards. It will also help increase exports from small-
and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. television industry, including
broadcasters, software producers, and manufacturers of transmission
equipment, receivers, semiconductors and other components.
DTV
standards decisions are expected in Brazil, Mexico and Chile in
late 2003 or early 2004. Standards are key to U.S. international
competitiveness. In March 2003, Commerce Secretary Don Evans launched
a Standards Initiative to help break down standards related trade
barriers. The Initiative is a response to U.S. industry concerns
that foreign standards and technical regulation issues are among
the greatest challenges to expanding exports.
The
funds awarded to ATSC Forum are made available through the Commerce
Department=s Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP), a public-private
partnership developed to help small- and medium-sized U.S. firms
expand exports that support jobs. The Market Development Cooperator
Program is a competitive matching awards program that builds partnerships
by providing federal assistance to non-profit organizations involved
in export promotion.
For
more information about the Market Development Cooperator Program,
please visit www.export.gov/mdcp.