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An Open Message to the Nation's Broadcasters

For an industry using the public airwaves -- and therefore obligated by law to serve the public interest -- the ads you've been running about a "TV tax" are shameful.

There's no pending TV tax. There's no real threat to free TV. You know it and so do we.

The real issue isn't whether today's popular programs will survive.

The future of digital communications is much bigger than that -- and much brighter. Bright enough, in fact, to make telecommunications one of the big engines that powers the American economy.

And also bright enough to do some powerful things for the American people. Like using television to serve children better. Giving us political debate that really is debate. Using the new interactive and on-demand features to provide the information people want and need every day.

What's really at stake is whether TV will contribute to a better tomorrow for us all -- in a way that meets your commercial interests and the nation's public interest.

You want twice as much of the broadcast spectrum as you have now---for free -- and it looks like you're going to get it (at least for now). We think you ought to pay for it -- just like every other new entrant does. But at the very least, you need to make the commitment to more expansive -- and frankly more creative -- ways to make television work harder for the public.

And please. Give the public the real facts. Don't keep using the airwaves to distort the story. Let's have a real debate, with all the options on the table.

That way, we can all together -- broadcasters, government leaders, public interest groups, and the American public -- define the public interest in the digital age. And where it could take us.

Defining the Public Interest in the Digital Age.
We've All Got a Lot at Stake.

Benton Foundation
950 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006

Through research, policy analysis and links to information and resources, the Benton Foundation engages and equips individuals and organizations to help shape the emerging communications environment in the public interest.

For further information: http://www.Benton.org.

First in a series of messages on the new digital environment and the public interest.

www.benton.org/Policy/TV/message.html
Last updated: 30 December 1996 mkh