Op-Ed
Picture it - the future is digital
Austin American-Statesman, January 24, 2008
Gary Chapman, Senior Lecturer in Public Affairs, Coordinator, 21st Century Project
Today marks the beginning of a historic transformation of television in the United States. But most Americans aren't aware of this — or don't understand the significance of what begins today.
After 20 years of development and several delays imposed by a skittish Congress, the United States is launching a yearlong transition to digital television.
On Feb. 17, 2009, the nation will experience the end of analog, over-the-air broadcasting of television, which is the way it has been delivered since it first appeared more than 70 years ago.
Televisions that cannot receive a digital signal will be obsolete that day, unless they are connected to an analog-digital converter box. In the past, the enormity of the change has given Congress cold feet because of the fear of political backlash from Americans who suddenly discover that their TVs no longer work. Congress' "start-stop" pattern has made some people wonder whether the 2009 deadline will stick this time.
However, today the Federal Communications Commission is beginning an auction for the radio-frequency spectrum that is currently used by analog television broadcast signals. This makes it unlikely that the process will be postponed again.
Several large companies are committed to the auction now — with billions of dollars in auction deposits. The federal government expects to bring in between $10 billion and $30 billion in revenue.
Insiders refer to the process as the "700 megahertz" auction, which refers to the radio frequency that will be leased to the highest bidders.
An expected outcome is that there will be new players in high-speed digital services, particularly in wireless broadband.
The 700 megahertz radio band will support a broadband wireless service that is faster than WiFi wireless, which will penetrate walls and buildings, and which will cover the entire nation.
The federal government is facing two huge challenges in the digital TV transition.
First, surveys have shown that fewer than half of Americans know this is happening. The people who need to know — the elderly, the poor and others who rely on free analog TV — are the least informed. They're the ones who are likely to be surprised next year if their television sets don't work.
So the federal government and the television broadcasting industry have a public education challenge bigger than any in recent memory — and, as of today, just 390 days to get the message out.
In addition, the government has launched a huge subsidy program, offering two $40 coupons per family in the United States, to help pay for the converter boxes that will show up in stores later this year.
The challenge is to tell people about these coupons and manage the inevitable side effects such as the coupons being sold or traded on eBay, counterfeited or stolen.
A policy change of the magnitude of the digital television transition comes along only once every fifty or sixty years, but few Americans understand or even know about the significance of what starts today.
And it will take the concerted efforts of all Americans to prepare those among us who need to understand how to make this switch before Feb. 17, 2009.
Copyright 2008 Austin American-Statesman
