A major phone company threw the book at a proposal to require incumbent telcos to provide consumers with information about the upcoming DTV transition in their telephone and cable bills. Qwest's December 12th filing with the Federal Communications Commission claims the idea will cause "customer confusion" and violate the First Amendment.

"Any notice about changes in broadcast television signals should come from sources that have a reasonable, logical connection to the issue," a rep from Qwest explained to an advisor to Commissioner Robert McDowell that day. "In this instance, that could include, e.g., broadcasters, cable and satellite television providers, and manufacturers of television sets."

The government has set February 17th, 2009 as the last day of analog broadcasting. The next day all TV stations must transmit via digital (or "DTV") signals. To help the estimated 21 million households that still have analog TV make the transition, the Department of Commerce will soon issue discount coupons good for set top boxes that convert analog sets into digital receivers.

One month before the government starts issuing discount coupons for set top boxes that can convert your old analog TV set into a digital ready receiver, some San Francisco Bay Area stores may be ready to handle the traffic. But most are not.

I spent the morning doing a quickie readiness survey of the San Francisco region. I called a bunch of Target, Best Buy, and Circuit City stores and asked them two questions: "Will you be selling those digital converter set top boxes for analog TV sets soon?" and "Will you be taking those discount coupons that the Department of Commerce plans to give out for the boxes?"

"Digital set top boxes? Converters? What?" a salesperson I called at the Target in Fremont replied. After a few more seconds of confusion, he transferred our call over to a manager, who assured me that Target would be selling the converters and honoring the coupons, "when the time comes."

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a letter today warning that the U.S. analog-to-digital TV or "DTV" transition schedule "faces challenges that could affect the outcome of the program."

Specifically, the GAO says that TV retailers may not be able to start selling converter set top boxes to the public by January 1st, 2008, as planned.

"Retailers told us that March or April of 2008—3 to 4 months after consumers can begin requesting coupons—is a likely time frame for retailers to be ready to participate in the program," the document explains.

Marc Goldstein of the GAO's Physical Infrastructure Issues division sent the letter to John Dingell, Chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on November 19th. The GAO released the communication today.

The United States has set February 17th, 2009 as the last day of analog TV broadcasting. After that date all television stations in the United States and its territories must transmit via digital signals.

Five prominent media reform organizations have taken Federal Communications Commission chair Kevin Martin to task for suggesting that digital (DTV) television's draw will be the wide variety of new channels available to consumers.

"We write today to say that we believe that the quality of DTV programming, not quantity of DTV programming could be the key to a successful digital television transition," the groups told the FCC on Friday October 19th. They include the Benton Foundation, Common Cause, Communication Service for the Deaf, Free Press, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Martin spoke before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on October 17th on the analog to digital, or DTV, transition. All TV broadcasters must convert to digital transmission after February 17th, 2009, leaving an estimated 21 million American households with useless analog TV sets.

The FCC is leading a broad effort to educate the public on the need to convert to digital reception before 2/17/2009. Martin told the committee that the government should accentuate the positive.

Using the same language template and writing on the same day, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Target have sent statements to the Federal Communications Commission assuring the agency that they're ready for the DTV transition.

The filings are not identical, but they're not all that different either.

"Best Buy will include educational items about the DTV Transition and the end of analog broadcasting in its in-store 'video loops' that are shown on the TVs displayed for sale," the big appliance retailer wrote to the FCC on October 16th.

"Circuit City will include items on the DTV Transition and the end of analog broadcasting in its in-store 'video loops' that are shown on the TVs displayed for sale," the electronics seller wrote to the FCC on the same day.

The government has designated February 17th, 2009 as the last day of analog broadcasting. After that, all TV stations must transmit digitally. Millions of Americans don't know about this transition, or that as many as 21 million households have older analog TV sets that won't work after February 17th. So the big retailers have pledged to participate in a general education campaign. Among their promises:

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.

A source close to the working committee of groups that advises the Federal Communications Commission on consumer matters has told LLFCC that the FCC instructed its participants "not to have contact with the press" about their latest vote on the digital or "DTV" transition.

On September 27th, the FCC's Consumer Advisory Committee CAC approved recommending a variety of broadcaster requirements to educate consumers on the impending switch from analog to digital broadcasting. Congress has set February 17th, 2009 as the last day for analog transmission. Starting on January 1st, the government will offer $40 coupons to consumers to defray the cost of buying a set top box that can convert older analog TVs into digital ready receivers.

Millions of Americans still own analog TV sets and know little if anything about the transition.

But industry and advocacy groups on the CAC are at odds over whether the FCC should require broadcasters to run public service announcements (PSAs) on the program. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) opposes the requirement. Most public interest groups favor it.