DTV Subsidy Program Comments

NAB, CEA AGREE ON CONVERTER BOX BASICS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Monday was the deadline for filing comments with the National Telecommunications & Information Administration on a new digital television converter box subsidy program. NTIA will get up to $1.5 billion to administer the DTV-to-analog subsidy, which is intended to keep over-the-air analog sets from going dark after February 2009, when television broadcasting goes all-digital. In joint comments filed to the NTIA, the National Association of Broadcasters, the Consumer Electronics Association and the Association for Maximum Service Television (broadcasters' spectrum policy watchdog) called for the program to cover all analog-only sets, not just ones in analog-only households, and said that the subsidies should not be based on economic need, but instead on "continuity of service." The groups identifies four core principles: 1) Continued Consumer Access to the Broadcast Service. The associations state that the DTA coupon is not a subsidy program; it is a consumer reimbursement program. NTIA's administration of the program must effectively ensure continuity of service to existing analog television sets. 2) Availability of High Quality, Usable, Low-Cost Converter Boxes. Consumers' out-of-pocket expenses for DTA converters must be minimized and the converter boxes must be intuitive and work properly in the myriad of challenging installation configurations in which they will be placed. 3) Simplicity and Clarity. NTIA's administration of the program must strive for simplicity. For consumers and others involved, the program must also be easy to understand and follow. 4) Fairness and Prevention of Waste and Abuse. The program should be structured
to facilitate equitable distribution of coupons to all Americans with analog televisions that depend on over-the-air broadcasts. The program should also be structured to prevent abuses and waste and deter fraudulent attempts to obtain program benefits. 5) Cooperation. The government, broadcasters, manufacturers, and retailers must each contribute to the above goals by providing consumers with the tools and information necessary to make effective use of the converter box program.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6375082.html?display=Breaking...

NEW AMERICA: USE SUBSIDY PROGRAM TO MAXIMIZE 'WHITE SPACES'
[SOURCE: New America Foundation]
The New America Foundation filed comments in the National Telecommunications & Information Administration's proceeding creating a new digital television converter box subsidy program. NAF recommends the following: The minimum technical capabilities for the converter boxes should maximize the utility of the TV white spaces within channels 2-51 for broadband and wireless innovation. The primary goal in designing the converter box subsidy should be to ensure that the return of TV Channels 52-69 is not endangered as a result of inadequate distribution of converter boxes to eligible households.
http://www.newamerica.net/publications/resources/2006/comments_on_dtv_co...