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United States Government Accountability Office:
GAO: 

Testimony Before the Senate Special Committee on Aging: 

For Release on Delivery: 
Expected at 10:30 a.m. EDT:
Wednesday, September 19, 2007: 

Digital Television Transition:
Preliminary Information on Initial Consumer Education Efforts: 

Statement of Mark L. Goldstein, Director:
Physical Infrastructure Issues: 

GAO-07-1248T: 

GAO Highlights:

Highlights of GAO-07-1248T, a testimony before the Senate Special 
Committee on Aging. 

Why GAO Did This Study: 

By February 17, 2009, federal law requires most television stations in 
the United States to cease analog broadcasting and broadcast digital-
only transmissions, often referred to as the digital television (DTV) 
transition. Federal law also requires the National Telecommunications 
and Information Administration (NTIA) to create a program that 
subsidizes consumers’ purchases of digital-to-analog converter boxes. 
After the transition, households with analog sets that rely on over-the-
air broadcast signals must take action or they will lose television 
service, but some households might not be aware of this potential 
disruption. This testimony provides information on consumer education 
efforts related to the DTV transition, and specifically (1) the 
education efforts currently underway, (2) efforts being planned, (3) 
difficulties with the implementation of consumer education programs, 
and (4) future GAO work on consumer education and awareness regarding 
the transition. GAO interviewed officials with the Federal 
Communications Commission (FCC) and NTIA. Further, GAO met with a wide 
variety of industry and other private stakeholders involved with the 
transition, including members of the DTV Transition Coalition—a group 
of public and private stakeholders, and experts on strategic 
communications. GAO discussed this testimony with FCC and NTIA 
officials and incorporated their comments. 

What GAO Found: 

A number of federal and private stakeholders have begun consumer 
education campaigns, with both independent and coordinated efforts 
underway. FCC has taken several steps to promote consumer awareness, 
such as launching a Web site, participating in events intended to 
educate the public, and requiring sellers of televisions to include 
consumer alerts on non-digital televisions. NTIA has created brochures 
in English and Spanish to provide the public information about its 
converter box subsidy program and is partnering with organizations to 
perform outreach to disadvantaged groups. Earlier this year, the DTV 
Transition Coalition was launched to help ensure that no consumer is 
left without broadcast television due to a lack of information. Over 
160 private, public, and non-profit groups have joined the Coalition to 
coordinate consumer education efforts. 

While widespread and comprehensive consumer education efforts have yet 
to be implemented, various efforts are currently being planned. FCC, 
NTIA, and private sector stakeholders have plans to further educate 
consumers as the DTV transition nears. For example, voluntary public 
service announcements to raise awareness of the transition are planned 
by industry groups and FCC is considering requiring broadcasters, 
manufacturers and cable and satellite providers to insert various 
messages and alerts in their products and programming. In addition, the 
converter box subsidy program will have a consumer education component. 
Because many education efforts are in the planning or early stages of 
implementation, it is too early to tell how effective these efforts 
will be. 

Various factors make consumer education difficult. No federal entity 
has a statutory mandate to lead overall consumer education efforts. 
While some private sector stakeholders are taking the lead on outreach 
efforts, these actions are voluntary, and therefore the government 
cannot be assured of the extent of private sector efforts. Strategic 
communications experts from industry, government, and academia 
identified potential challenges to a consumer education campaign, 
including (1) prioritizing limited resources to target the right 
audience, (2) educating consumers who do not necessarily need to take 
action, (3) reaching underserved populations, and (4) aligning 
stakeholders to form a consistent, coordinated effort. 

GAO has work planned to assess the progress of consumer awareness. In 
particular, GAO plans to conduct a series of surveys to determine the 
population affected by the DTV transition, levels of awareness about 
the transition, and demographic information about the affected 
population. Throughout the transition, GAO will continue to monitor 
government and industry education efforts and analyze these efforts 
relative to best practices for consumer education campaigns. GAO plans 
to monitor the outcome of FCC’s rulemaking related to consumer 
education and collect details of the consumer education component of 
the converter box subsidy program. 

[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-GAO-07-1248T]. 

To view the full product, click on the link above. For more 
information, contact Mark L. Goldstein, (202) 512-2834, or 
goldsteinm@gao.gov. 

[End of section] 

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: 

I am pleased to be here today to report on our work for the House 
Energy and Commerce committee and this committee on the progress made 
in consumer education efforts for the digital television (DTV) 
transition. We are currently finalizing a report on initial public and 
private sector efforts underway to implement the transition; as such, 
the findings that I am reporting to the Committee today are preliminary 
in nature and principally related to consumer education and outreach 
programs. 

A primary goal of the DTV transition is for the federal government to 
reclaim spectrum[Footnote 1] that broadcasters currently use to provide 
analog television signals. The spectrum that the federal government 
will reclaim at the end of the transition is considered highly valuable 
because of its particular technical properties. In all, the DTV 
transition will free up 108 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum. The Federal 
Communications Commission (FCC) has reallocated 24 MHz of the spectrum 
that will be recovered for public safety purposes, which became a 
higher priority following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. 
FCC will auction the remaining spectrum for commercial purposes, with 
the resulting proceeds allocated for, among other things, reducing the 
federal deficit. 

The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 
mandates the cessation of analog television broadcast signals on 
February 17, 2009. After that date, households that had previously 
viewed television on analog sets solely through the reception of over- 
the-air signals must take action to ensure that they have the necessary 
equipment, such as a digital-to-analog converter box, or subscription 
video service to be able to view the digital broadcast signals. If they 
do not take such action, they will lose the ability to view the digital 
signals on their analog sets. The act also directed the National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish a 
$1.5 billion program through which households can obtain coupons for 
the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes. NTIA issued a final 
rule that adopted regulations to implement the converter box subsidy 
program, and in August 2007, selected IBM Corporation (IBM) to 
administer the program. Beginning January 1, 2008, households can 
request up to two $40 coupons toward the purchase of eligible[Footnote 
2] digital-to-analog converter boxes. 

Three private sector groups have asserted various estimates of the 
number of households that rely solely on over-the-air television. While 
one group estimates that 11 percent of households rely on over-the-air 
broadcasts, another group's estimate is 16 percent of households, and a 
third group's estimate is 20 percent of households. Further, private 
sector estimates claim an additional 5 percent to 27 percent of 
households that subscribe to cable or satellite television have at 
least one television set that receives an over-the-air signal. One 
group asserted that households that rely on over-the-air broadcasts are 
disproportionately comprised of older citizens than other households. 
Although it is unclear what percentage of households that rely 
exclusively on over-the-air broadcasts use analog rather than digital 
television sets, millions of those households potentially stand to be 
left without any television service unless they take action. To help 
the public understand the DTV transition and the various options they 
have, consumer education and awareness programs are underway and 
additional programs are being planned. 

While there are many steps necessary to successfully complete the DTV 
transition, my testimony today will focus on consumer education and 
awareness. In particular, I will discuss (1) consumer education efforts 
currently underway, (2) education efforts and programs being planned, 
(3) the difficulties that may arise in the implementation of such 
programs, and (4) ongoing work on DTV consumer education and awareness 
that we will undertake. 

To meet these objectives, we interviewed officials with FCC and NTIA, 
as well as a wide variety of industry and other private stakeholders, 
such as broadcasters, manufacturers, retailers, and consumer advocacy 
groups. Further, we consulted strategic communications experts 
representing public, private, and academic organizations to identify 
potential challenges that might obstruct consumer education efforts. We 
performed our review from January 2007 through August 2007 in 
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. We 
discussed this testimony with FCC and NTIA officials to obtain their 
comments. FCC and NTIA provided additional information that we 
incorporated where appropriate. 

In Summary: 

* Several federal and private stakeholders have begun consumer 
education campaigns, with both independent and coordinated efforts 
underway. FCC and NTIA have been involved in consumer education and 
awareness programs and some private sector organizations are 
voluntarily taking the lead on outreach efforts. For example, FCC has 
launched a Web site (DTV.gov) and NTIA has begun outreach efforts to 
groups most likely to lose all television service as a result of the 
transition--including at-risk groups such as the elderly--with 
"information sheets" and brochures. Private, public, and nonprofit 
groups have joined together to form the DTV Transition Coalition to 
coordinate on consumer education efforts and messages. 

* Widespread and comprehensive consumer education efforts have yet to 
be implemented, but additional efforts are currently being planned both 
for the general population and at-risk groups. FCC, NTIA, and private 
sector stakeholders have plans to further educate consumers as the 
transition nears. FCC solicited comments on proposed consumer education 
programs, including potentially requiring television broadcasters to 
conduct on-air consumer education efforts. The proposals also include 
potential requirements for industry to report on the status of their 
specific consumer outreach efforts, including those efforts targeted to 
at-risk groups. Included in NTIA's converter box subsidy program is a 
consumer education component--the details of which have not been made 
public. Some organizations, such as the DTV Transition Coalition and 
various industry trade associations, are planning information and 
education campaigns and some groups are planning to broadcast public 
service announcements. 

* Despite the efforts currently underway and those being planned, 
difficulties remain in the implementation of consumer education 
programs. While private sector organizations are conducting outreach 
efforts, these actions are voluntary and therefore the government 
cannot be assured of the extent of private sector efforts. Strategic 
communications experts from industry, government, and academia 
identified potential challenges to a consumer education campaign, 
including (1) prioritizing limited resources to target the right 
audience for an adequate period of time, (2) educating consumers who do 
not necessarily need to take action, (3) reaching underserved 
populations, such as the elderly and disabled, and (4) aligning 
stakeholders to form a consistent, coordinated effort. 

* In our ongoing work for the House Energy and Commerce committee and 
this committee, we plan on reporting on the progress of consumer 
education and awareness about the DTV transition throughout the 
upcoming transition period. For example, we will continue to monitor 
consumer education programs and plan to conduct a series of consumer 
surveys throughout the year prior to the transition date. These surveys 
will be aimed at estimating the population that will be affected by the 
DTV transition and the public awareness of the transition. We will 
estimate the percent of the population relying on over-the-air 
broadcasts, as well as demographic characteristics of the affected 
population to determine what groups might be most disrupted by the 
transition. We will report on changes in consumer awareness over time 
based on surveys we plan to conduct throughout the transition process. 
In addition, throughout the transition process, we will continue to 
assess government and industry consumer education efforts and analyze 
the efforts compared with key practices for consumer outreach. 

Background: 

The United States is currently undergoing a transition from analog to 
digital broadcast television, often referred to as the DTV transition. 
The transition will enable the government to allocate valuable spectrum 
from analog broadcast to public safety and other purposes. Further, 
digital transmission of television signals provides several advantages 
compared to analog transmission, such as enabling better quality 
picture and sound reception as well as using the radiofrequency 
spectrum more efficiently than analog transmission. With traditional 
analog technology, pictures and sounds are converted into "waveform" 
electrical signals for transmission through the radiofrequency 
spectrum, while digital technology converts these pictures and sounds 
into a stream of digits consisting of zeros and ones for transmission. 

The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 
addresses the responsibilities of two federal agencies--FCC and NTIA-- 
related to the DTV transition. The act directs FCC to require full- 
power television stations to cease analog broadcasting and to broadcast 
solely digital transmissions after February 17, 2009. As we have 
previously reported, households with analog televisions that rely 
solely on over-the-air television signals received through a rooftop 
antenna or indoor antenna must take action to be able to view digital 
broadcast signals after the termination of analog broadcasts. Options 
available to these households include (1) purchasing a digital 
television set that includes a tuner capable of receiving, processing, 
and displaying a digital signal; (2) purchasing a digital-to-analog 
converter box, which converts the digital broadcast signals to analog 
so they can be viewed on an existing analog set; or (3) subscribing to 
a cable, satellite, or other service to eliminate the need to acquire a 
digital-to-analog converter box. The act also directed NTIA to 
establish a $1.5 billion subsidy program through which households can 
obtain coupons toward the purchase of digital-to-analog converter 
boxes. The last day for consumers to request coupons is March 31, 2009, 
and coupons can be redeemed through July 9, 2009. As required by law, 
all coupons expire 90 days after issuance. Consumers can redeem their 
coupons at participating retailers (both "brick and mortar" and online) 
for eligible converter boxes. 

To help inform consumers about the transition, eight private sector 
organizations launched the DTV Transition Coalition in February 2007. 
These eight organizations are the Association for Maximum Service 
Television, Association of Public Television Stations, Consumer 
Electronics Association, Consumer Electronic Retailers Coalition, 
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, LG Electronics, National 
Association of Broadcasters, and the National Cable and 
Telecommunications Association. These founding organizations comprise 
the Coalition's steering committee and make decisions on behalf of the 
Coalition. To better represent the interests of at-risk or underserved 
populations--such as the elderly--AARP later joined the steering 
committee. The Coalition's mission is to ensure that no consumer is 
left without broadcast television due to a lack of information about 
the transition. Currently, the Coalition has over 160 member 
organizations comprised of business, trade and industry groups, as well 
as FCC.[Footnote 3] 

Recent surveys conducted by industry trade associations indicate that 
consumer awareness of the digital transition is low. The Association 
for Public Television Stations reported in January 2007 that 61 percent 
of participants surveyed had "no idea" that the transition was taking 
place. Another study conducted by the National Association of 
Broadcasters focused on households that primarily receive their 
television signals over-the-air--and will therefore be most affected by 
the transition--and reported that 57 percent of those surveyed were not 
aware of the transition. Both surveys found that most people with some 
awareness of the transition had limited awareness of the date the 
transition will take place. 

Federal Government and Private Stakeholder Consumer Education Efforts 
Are Underway: 

Federal and private stakeholders are making progress in educating 
consumers about the DTV transition, with both independent and 
coordinated efforts underway. FCC and NTIA have been involved in 
consumer education and awareness programs and some private sector 
organizations are voluntarily taking the lead on outreach efforts. 

FCC has taken several steps toward educating consumers about the 
transition. For example, FCC has launched a Web site (DTV.gov), which, 
among other things, provides background information on the DTV 
transition and answers common consumer questions. In addition, FCC has 
met with some industry groups, consumer groups, and other government 
agencies and participated in public events intended to educate 
audiences about the transition. Moreover, in April 2007, FCC adopted a 
rule requiring all sellers of television-receiving equipment that does 
not include a digital tuner to prominently display a consumer alert 
that such devices will require a converter box to receive over-the-air 
broadcast television after February 17, 2009. To ensure that retailers 
are in compliance, FCC staff have inspected over 1,000 retail stores 
and Web sites and issued over 250 citations with potential fines 
exceeding $3 million. In addition, FCC has issued notices to television 
manufacturers with potential fines over $2.5 million for importing 
televisions without digital tuners. In June 2007, FCC announced that it 
had re-chartered an intergovernmental advisory committee comprised of 
15 representatives from local, state, and tribal governments to help it 
address, among other things, consumer education about the DTV 
transition. Similarly, it re-chartered a consumer advisory committee 
that will also make recommendations to FCC about the transition on 
behalf of consumers, with specific representation for people with 
disabilities and other underserved or at-risk populations. 

NTIA has also taken initial steps towards educating consumers about the 
transition. NTIA has statutory responsibility for the converter box 
subsidy program, for which Congress appropriated up to $5 million for 
education efforts. According to NTIA, its education efforts are focused 
on the subsidy program and more specifically on five groups most likely 
to lose all television service as a result of the transition: (1) 
senior citizens, (2) the economically disadvantaged, (3) rural 
residents, (4) people with disabilities, and (5) minorities. According 
to NTIA, it has begun outreach efforts to these groups through 
partnerships with private organizations as well as other federal 
agencies. Also, it has created "information sheets" for consumers, 
retailers, and manufacturers that outline the subsidy program and are 
available on its Web site. NTIA said it has provided informational 
brochures in English and Spanish to the public and provided a copy to 
every member of Congress and federal agencies that serve some of the 
populations noted above. The agency also created a consumer hotline 
that provides information about the transition in English and Spanish, 
and TTY numbers that provide information in English and Spanish to the 
hearing impaired. In addition, in August 2007, NTIA contracted with IBM 
to implement the broad consumer education component about the program. 

On a voluntary basis, some private stakeholders have begun implementing 
measures to inform consumers about the DTV transition. As previously 
mentioned, one such private-sector led effort is the DTV Transition 
Coalition, which has developed and consumer tested various messages 
about the transition, using surveys and focus groups of the affected 
consumers--the general population, senior citizens, minority groups, 
and over-the-air analog television households--to understand what 
messages are most effective in informing them about the transition. 
Subsequently, the Coalition said it agreed upon one concise message 
that includes information about the transition itself, the rationale 
for the transition, and the ways consumers can effectively switch to 
DTV. In particular, the Coalition suggests consumers can prepare for 
the transition by purchasing a DTV converter box, purchasing a new 
television set with a built in digital tuner, or subscribing to a pay 
television service such as cable, satellite, or telephone company video 
service provider. The Coalition said its member organizations will 
distribute this information to their constituents, including senior 
citizens, the disabled, and minority groups. The Coalition message will 
also be delivered to media outlets. 

In addition to coordinated efforts within the Coalition, private sector 
organizations also have independent education efforts underway. For 
example, a number of industry associations host Web sites that inform 
consumers of, among other things, common consumer questions about the 
transition, how to check if the television they own is digital-ready, 
and how to dispose of analog television sets. One national retailer 
told us that it added a feature to its registers so that when a 
consumer purchases an analog television, a message about the transition 
is printed on the bottom of the receipt. 

Many Consumer Education Efforts Are Still in the Planning Stages and 
Have Not Been Widely Implemented: 

Widespread and comprehensive consumer education efforts have yet to be 
implemented, but additional efforts are currently being planned. FCC, 
NTIA, and private sector stakeholders have plans to further educate 
consumers as the digital transition nears. The converter box subsidy 
program, to be administered by NTIA, will also have a consumer 
education component implemented by its contractor, IBM. Because many 
education efforts are in the planning or initial stages of 
implementation, it is too early to tell how effective these efforts 
will be. 

FCC has solicited input on proposed consumer education programs. In 
August 2007, in response to a letter containing proposals on advancing 
consumer education submitted by members of Congress, FCC released a 
notice of proposed rulemaking soliciting public comments. These 
proposals include requiring television broadcasters to conduct on-air 
consumer education efforts and regularly report on the status of these 
efforts, requiring cable and satellite providers to insert periodic 
notices in customers' bills about the transition and their future 
viewing options, and requiring manufacturers to include information on 
the transition with any television set or related device they import or 
distribute in the United States. Each of the requirements mentions 
civil penalties for noncompliance. Another proposal on which FCC sought 
comment would have FCC work with NTIA to require that retailers 
participating in the converter box subsidy program detail their 
employee training and consumer information plans, as well as have FCC 
staff spot check the retailers for compliance. Also, FCC sought 
comments on a proposal requiring partners identified on FCC's DTV.gov 
Web site to report their specific consumer outreach efforts. The 
comment period on the notice of proposed rulemaking is scheduled to 
close on September 19, 2007; the period to file any rebuttal closes 
October 1, 2007. 

NTIA also has not fully implemented education efforts about its subsidy 
program in large part because it is contracting out the consumer 
education component of its program. The contract was recently awarded 
in the middle of August 2007 to IBM and plans are in the development 
stage. 

Many private sector consumer education efforts are in the planning 
stages and have yet to be fully implemented. Representatives from 
private sector organizations told us there are several reasons why they 
are waiting to fully launch their consumer education campaigns. In 
particular, some said they are trying to time their education efforts 
for maximum effectiveness and that they do not want to start too early 
and possibly lose the attention of consumers later on. Another reason 
is that they are waiting for key events to occur, such as the 
availability of converter boxes in retail stores, so that education 
efforts can contain complete information. A number of nonprofit 
organizations told us that a lack of dedicated funding hampers their 
ability to educate and outreach to their constituents. Through its many 
member organizations, the DTV Transition Coalition intends to 
disseminate information about the transition in a variety of formats, 
including through presenting at conferences, creating media attention, 
and distributing informational materials to Congressional offices. The 
National Cable and Telecommunications Association has created public 
service announcements about the transition in both Spanish and English, 
which will be aired by cable operators and networks in markets 
throughout the country in the fall of 2007. The National Association of 
Broadcasters also has plans to launch a public service announcement 
campaign related to the transition by the end of 2007, which will air 
on its local television broadcasting affiliates, independent stations, 
and broadcast networks. 

Difficulties Remain in the Implementation of Consumer Education 
Programs: 

Despite efforts currently underway and those being planned, 
difficulties remain in the implementation of consumer education 
programs. Private sector organizations are participating in outreach 
efforts, but these actions are voluntary and therefore the government 
cannot be assured of the extent of private sector efforts. Moreover, 
given the different interests represented by industry stakeholders, 
messages directed at consumers vary and might lead to confusion. For 
example, in addition to providing information about why the transition 
is occurring, some industry stakeholders have incentives to provide 
consumers with information on a wide host of technology equipment or 
services that consumers could purchase, at varying costs. Advocates for 
the elderly, disabled, and non-English speaking households told us that 
they are concerned that their members will become confused by the 
options and end up purchasing equipment they do not need or more 
expensive equipment than necessary to maintain their television 
viewing. 

Further, we heard from strategic communication experts from industry, 
government, and academia that potential challenges might obstruct 
consumer education efforts. In particular, the experts and others 
highlighted several challenges: 

* Prioritizing limited resources. With limited time and financial 
resources, it is likely to be a challenge for stakeholders to determine 
how best to allocate those resources within the campaign--for example, 
whether to target a smaller audience over a set period of time, versus 
targeting a broader audience over a shorter period of time. This is 
applicable because, according to industry stakeholders, there may be 
specific groups that are more vulnerable than others to losing 
television service. 

* Educating consumers who do not necessarily need to take action. Many 
of the outreach efforts will be focused on educating consumers on what 
to do to keep their television sets from going dark after the 
termination of analog broadcasts. However, a large proportion of U.S. 
households will not need to do anything--for example, because they have 
cable or satellite television service that will enable their analog set 
to continue to display programming. Because many messages focus on the 
actions that households that rely on over-the-air analog broadcasting 
need to take, consumers unaffected by the transition might become 
confused and purchase equipment they do not need. In our past work 
looking at a similar digital transition in Germany, we have described 
this potential confusion to cable and satellite households as a 
challenge of educating consumers about the transition. 

* Reaching underserved populations. Conveying the message to 
underserved populations, such as senior citizens, the disabled, those 
residing in rural areas, or non-English speaking households, will 
provide an added challenge. Many groups reaching out to consumers about 
the transition are doing so on Web sites, which may not be available to 
people who lack Internet access or are less technically savvy. Another 
challenge is providing information in a wide variety of formats, such 
as in different languages for non-English speaking consumers and in 
text, video, voice, and Braille for the disabled. Overall, a challenge 
of consumer education is that those households in need of taking action 
may be the least likely to be aware of the transition. 

* Aligning stakeholders. Industry representatives also noted the 
challenge of aligning stakeholders--some of whom are natural 
competitors--to work together. In our past work, we have reported that 
federal agencies engaged in collaborative efforts--such as the 
transition--need to create the means to monitor and evaluate their 
efforts to enable them to identify areas for improvement. Reporting on 
these activities can help key decision makers within the agencies, as 
well as clients and stakeholders, to obtain feedback for improving both 
policy and operational effectiveness. Some progress in aligning 
stakeholders, such as the formation of the DTV Transition Coalition, 
has been made, but some stakeholders may have competing interests. For 
example, recent announcements produced by the National Cable and 
Telecommunications Association invoke the DTV transition, but 
ultimately promote the role of cable television in the transition. 

Our Future Work Will Focus on Consumer Awareness of the DTV Transition: 

In our ongoing work for the House Energy and Commerce committee and 
this committee, we plan to assess the progress of consumer education 
and awareness about the DTV transition. We will continue to monitor 
consumer education programs and plan to conduct a series of consumer 
surveys throughout the year prior to the transition date. These surveys 
will be aimed at determining the population that will be affected by 
the DTV transition and the public awareness of the transition. In 
determining the affected population, we will look at the percent of the 
population relying on over-the-air broadcasts for their primary 
television, as well as the percent of the population with non-primary 
televisions being used to watch over-the-air television. Additionally, 
we will review the demographic characteristics of the affected 
population to determine what groups might be most disrupted by the 
transition. We will survey for public awareness of the DTV transition, 
and specific knowledge of the transition, such as when the transition 
will take place. We will seek to determine the level of public 
awareness of those who will be affected by the transition and awareness 
of the converter box subsidy program and other options for viewing 
digital signals after the transition. We plan to report on changes in 
consumer awareness over time by conducting surveys throughout the 
transition process. 

Furthermore, we will continue to assess government and industry 
consumer education efforts and will analyze the efforts compared with 
key practices for consumer outreach. We will review the government's 
responsibility for consumer education, monitor the outcome of FCC's 
notices of proposed rulemaking regarding the transition, and collect 
details on IBM's consumer education plan as they become available. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be happy to 
respond to any questions you or other Members of the Committee may have 
at this time. 

Contacts and Acknowledgements: 

For questions regarding this testimony, please contact Mark L. 
Goldstein on (202) 512-2834 or goldsteinm@gao.gov. Individuals making 
key contributions to this testimony included Matthew Cail, Colin 
Fallon, Simon Galed, Bert Japikse, Crystal Jones, Sally Moino, Andrew 
Stavisky, and Margaret Vo. 

[End of section] 

FOOTNOTES 

[1] The radiofrequency spectrum is the part of the natural spectrum of 
electromagnetic radiation lying below 300 gigahertz. It is the medium 
that makes possible wireless communications, including cellular and 
paging services, radio and television broadcasting, radar, and 
satellite-based services. 

[2] NTIA established technical and performance specifications that 
converter boxes must meet to be eligible for the coupon program.  

[3] While NTIA is not an official Coalition member, the agency has been 
participating in Coalition activities since its inception. The 
Coalition, as well as FCC and NTIA, have created Web sites providing 
information on the DTV transition and converter box subsidy program. 
These Web sites are available for viewing at the following addresses: 
[hyperlink, http://www.dtvtransition.org], [hyperlink, 
http://www.dtv.gov], [hyperlink, 
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/index.html].  

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Web site: [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm] 
E-mail: fraudnet@gao.gov; 
Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202) 512-7470: 

Congressional Relations: 

Gloria Jarmon, Managing Director, JarmonG@gao.gov: 
(202) 512-4400: 
U.S. Government Accountability Office: 
441 G Street NW, Room 7125: 
Washington, D.C. 20548: 

Public Affairs: 

Susan Becker, Acting Manager, Beckers@gao.gov: 
(202) 512-4800: 
U.S. Government Accountability Office: 
441 G Street NW, Room 7149: 
Washington, D.C. 20548: