TESTIMONY OF JONATHAN S. ADELSTEIN 

COMMISSIONER, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, before the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION, US SENATE
OCTOBER 17, 2007

Mr. Chairman, we have less than 500 days before full-power stations are required to cease analog and broadcast exclusively in digital. There's a huge amount of work, coordination, public education and assistance ahead of us to make the transition work for millions of consumers.

The GAO recently testified that no one appears to be in charge of the transition. Because nobody's in charge, there's no strategic plan. There's no established structure to coordinate the national DTV transition. Nobody is ultimately responsible for vetting, prioritizing and implementing ideas from both the public and private sectors into a comprehensive and coherent plan.

We're sending out weak signals, so the public isnt getting a clear picture.

Only the government can play the role of referee to ensure that industry representatives with sometimes conflicting priorities are coordinated to send a clear message that serves all consumers and is not skewed by self-interest. And I hear from many perspectives that our government agencies themselves aren't coordinated.

Our FCC staff performs well whenever they are given proper guidance. As GAO testified, the FCC remains the best positioned agency to lead the effort.

While the FCC staff has been hard at work, and despite some recent improvements, the Commission's overall DTV effort is not a model of effectiveness. Congressional interest and public scrutiny in recent months have rightly forced the FCC to expand its overall outreach, enforcement and technical efforts. But much more is needed.

Poor long-term planning and the continued lack of a national, federal and internal FCC coordination plan have left us in the unfortunate position of playing catch-up. Rather than being proactive - anticipating problems and concerns, and developing an effective strategy - we've been reactive. For instance, while Congress and this Committee got the DTV transition deadline enacted in February, 2006, the Commission waited 17 months before seeking comment on rules to educate the public. We only did so then under significant pressure from Congress.

Fortunately, the full Commission yesterday received proposed final rules for our consideration that will greatly expand our role.

While some have argued that there is no need for a coordinated message, I strongly disagree. Allowing each party to follow its own self-interest will lead to public confusion. Industry has shown its interest in working with us, and has shared many thoughtful ideas. But there has been a remarkable lack of Federal coordination. More resources are needed to expand the scope of our efforts, but it is not solely a matter of funding. Here are some steps we need to take immediately to get on the right path:

First, it's long overdue for the FCC, NTIA and other relevant federal agencies to develop a Federal DTV Task Force. This multi-agency task force would clarify the message and develop benchmarks and a timeline. It would be accountable to Congress. The private sector has established a coordinating mechanism. We should do the same for the Federal government.

Beyond coordinating government efforts at all levels - as well as our own internal efforts - the task force can convene joint meetings with the private sector coalition to ensure a coherent, consistent message across all channels. And it can help to coordinate the many public-private assistance efforts needed for at-risk communities.

With a coherent message, the task force could work with other federal agencies to integrate DTV educational information into many points of contact with consumers.

We should also establish a single toll-free National DTV Call Center.

The task force needs to work with all levels of government and the private sector to establish a grassroots information and technical assistance campaign. It should target communities with the highest concentration of the most vulnerable, over-the-air viewers. It needs to establish timelines for training and outreach to ensure people who need help can get it.

The Commission still has much work left to ensure broadcasters can continue to serve all over-the-air viewers throughout the transition. Only 41 percent of full-power stations are fully in position to broadcast in digital-only. To help them, we need to quickly complete the Third DTV Periodic Review. And we need to give Congress and the American people a full report on the status of the transition one year before the hard deadline.

There is little time left, but there is enough time to establish a smooth transition only if we increase the level of coordination and resources dedicated to this. The ongoing leadership of this Committee, including this hearing today, is extremely helpful in focusing our efforts. Thank you for holding this critical hearing. We are going to need many more like it to keep us on track. I look forward to working with you to make the DTV transition a success for the American people.