Pace Of DTV Transition Varies Around The Globe

As Congress prepares to vote this month on a measure to speed the transition to digital television, international movement on that front is mixed. Britain plans a region-by-region transition starting in 2008 and ending in 2012. Japan, meanwhile, has been promoting DTV services since 1993 and began offering them in 2003. Today, 13.71 million households, or 10.8 percent, subscribe to satellite DTV, according to the Ministry of International and Communications. By the end of this year, the ministry expects coverage to reach 27 million households. Japan's digital transition is set to end by 2011. And South Korea boasts the world's highest per capita penetration for high-speed Internet access, and also ranks high in DTV adoption. As many as 80 percent of households have access to DTV, and the government has mandated broadcasters to run 25 hours of DTV programming per week, with the full transition set for 2010. The South Korean government introduced a digital transition plan in 1999, and established its legal and regulatory framework in 2004, according to the Korean Broadcasting Commission.
* DTV Channel Elections
The FCC Media Bureau designated tentative digital channels for 1,713 TV stations, more than 95% of the broadcast stations nationwide. Included were 1,554 channel designations previously announced and those for stations participating in approved negotiated channel arrangements.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-2649A1.doc