Adelstein: Not Too Late to get DTV Transition Right

Federal Communications Commission member Jonathan Adelstein spoke at the Government Video Technology Expo, warning that the FCC has sent weak signals about the digital television transition "so the public isn't getting a clear picture." He offered six steps the FCC could take to get the transition right:

1) Assemble and train teams of DTV assistance workers to go into every market, city and town in the U.S. to ensure that every community get a baseline level of organizational and resource support.

2) Facilitate a viral campaign in coordination with congressional and governmental offices and community organizations to encourage tech savvy individuals to assist family members, friends, and neighbors with converter box installation.

3) Encourage elected officials, from Governors to Mayors and beyond, to get involved in making this happen on the ground.

4) Increase the FCC's phone bank capacity to handle 2 million phone calls in the days immediately following February 17.

5) Finalize grants to community organizations and event planners to assist with the transition effort.

6) Ask telco, cable and satellite operators to get involved on a local level.