FCC launches campaign to sell digital TV sets?!
Gary Ruskin
gary@commercialalert.org
Thu, 07 Oct 2004 11:04:43 -0700
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*Commercial Alert, October 7, 2004*
Today, Commercial Alert, children's advocates and media scholars sent
letters to all members of the U.S. Senate and House appropriations and
commerce committees, asking them to cut off funding for the Federal
Communications Commission's campaign to prod Americans to buy digital TV
sets. The letter follows.
Dear Senator:
On October 4th, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael
Powell announced that the FCC was launching a campaign to convince the
public to buy digital television sets. The campaign even has a website,
at www.dtv.gov, bearing the slogan "DTV: Get It!"
Many of these new digital TV sets are extremely expensive - some cost
$3,000 dollars or more - which says a lot about why consumer electronics
companies such as Sony and Panasonic are "partnering" with the FCC to
promote them.
Do you really believe that with all the troubles facing our nation, the
federal government should be on a crusade to encourage people to buy
costly new television sets?
Television is a major public health problem. It is a factor in many
diseases, syndromes and unhealthy habits, including obesity, type 2
diabetes, violence, aggression, attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder, poor fitness and smoking.
Television is an incubator of disrespect for parents. TV ads are
crafted to set children against their parents and stir dissension in the
home. In addition, some political theorists, such as Robert Putnam,
believe that television is in part responsible for civic decline in the
United States.
Americans don't need the federal government telling them to buy new
television sets, and they certainly don't need their hard-earned tax
dollars spent in this manner.
We strongly urge you eliminate all funding for this campaign immediately.
Sincerely,
Nicholas Johnson, former Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission
Tim Kasser, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology, Knox College;
author, /The High Price of Materialism/
Diane E. Levin, PhD, Professor of Education, Wheelock College
Susan Linn, EdD, Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School;
Co-founder, Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children; author, /Consuming
Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood/
Bob McCannon, Executive Director, New Mexico Media Literacy Project
Peggy O'Mara, Editor and Publisher, Mothering Magazine
Alvin F. Poussaint, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School;
Director, Media Center of the Judge Baker Children's Center
Jonathan Rowe, writer
Gary Ruskin, Executive Director, Commercial Alert
Juliet Schor, PhD, Professor of Sociology, Boston College; author, /Born
to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture/
Victor Strasburger, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Chief, Division of
Adolescent Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine;
co-author, /Children, Adolescents, & the Media/
Frank Vespe, Executive Director, TV-Turnoff Network
Rob Williams, President, Action Coalition for Media Education
Diane Wood, Executive Director, Center for a New American Dream
<------letter ends here------>
*Background*
For more information about the public health effects of television see:
* our web page on television at:
http://www.commercialalert.org/index.php/category_id/1/subcategory_id/29/article_id/117
* the TV facts and figures web page from our friends at the TV-Turnoff
Network:
http://www.tvturnoff.org/research.htm
Following is an article in the October 5th Wall Street Journal.
http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB109692847538435778,00.html
FCC Launches Initiative To Push Digital TVs
by Anne Marie Squeo
Uncle Sam wants you -- to buy a digital television.
So much so that the federal government is launching a national campaign,
in partnership with consumer-electronics makers and retailers, to
explain what to look for in a digital TV set.
The age of digital television, which provides home viewers with more of
a cinematic experience from their sofa, has been promised for nearly 20
years. While digital-television sales are increasing, many consumers
have held off purchases amid widespread confusion about the need for
these sets, which can cost hundreds of dollars more than traditional
analog TVs.
Now the federal government wants to finalize the so-called digital
transition, which was supposed to take place by 2006 but has been
postponed until 2009. By educating consumers about the benefits of the
technology, regulators are hoping to entice people expecting to buy a
new television in coming years to go digital instead.
This 32-inch high-definition set from Sharp can receive digital
programming. But it goes for $3,999 -- hundreds of dollars more than a
typical analog model.
Using the slogan "DTV: Get It!," Federal Communications Commission
Chairman Michael Powell announced a major initiative by the agency to
educate the public about what digital television is and what is needed
to get it. "For years, the transition has moved along sluggishly," said
Mr. Powell, who likened the resistance to what existed when color first
came to a nation dominated by black-and-white TVs. "The FCC felt the
need to jump in and provide some leadership."
To that end, the FCC has launched www.dtv.gov, a Web site that provides
shopping tips such as what equipment is necessary to make digital
television work. It also tells details what shows currently air
digitally in various areas. In one random neighborhood in Washington,
for example, CBS's "CSI: Miami" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" are
available in the high-definition format, as well as ABC network's
"Monday Night Football." For those without Internet access, a toll-free
phone number, 1-888-CALL-FCC, is available.
Digital television sends signals using computer code -- ones and zeroes
-- that allows broadcasting content to be compressed to provide better
sound and picture quality than conventional analog sets. Traditional
televisions, by contrast, rely on a continuous electronic signal that is
more susceptible to interference and has less clarity. Analog television
sets provide resolution of as many as 480 horizontal lines, while
digital transmissions more than double that, allowing for a deeper level
of picture detail.
There are various types of digital television, with Standard Definition
Television, or SDTV, as the basic kind and High-Definition Television,
or HDTV, as the premier version that offers the crispest images and the
most extra features.
One of the biggest factors delaying the adoption of digital televisions
has been the cost. A basic 32-inch digital television can cost at least
$1,000 compared with $270 for an analog model. According to the Web site
for electronics retailer Circuit City, a 34-inch, high-definition Sony
television costs $1,999. Circuit City, as well as Best Buy, RadioShack
and Tweeter, are among a number of retailers that are teaming up with
the federal government to educate consumers, making the FCC's tip sheets
available in their stores.
Since 2000, about 12.3 million digital television products have been
sold in the U.S., according to the Consumer Electronics Association, an
industry trade group. By comparison, nearly 102 million analog sets were
sold during the same period.
<-----article ends here------>
*What you can do*
Send an email to FCC Chairman Michael Powell (Michael.Powell@fcc.gov
<mailto:Michael.Powell@fcc.gov>) suggesting that he should stop acting
as our nation's #1 digital TV salesman, and do something constructive
instead (such as reducing the concentration of media ownership,
promoting low-power FM radio, granting free airtime to political
campaigns, etc.)
*About Commercial Alert*
Commercial Alert is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is
to keep the commercial culture within its proper sphere, and to prevent
it from exploiting children and subverting the higher values of family,
community, environmental integrity and democracy. For more information,
or to become a member, go to http://www.commercialalert.org.
Commercial Alert's materials are distributed via our email list. To
subscribe, go to
http://lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/commercial-alert, or send a
blank message to subscribe@commercialalert.org
<mailto:subscribe@commercialalert.org>. Subscribers receive 1-2 emails
per week, at most.
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<b>Commercial Alert, October 7, 2004</b><br>
<br>
Today, Commercial Alert, children's advocates and media scholars sent
letters to all
members of the U.S. Senate and House appropriations and commerce
committees, asking them to cut off funding for the Federal
Communications Commission’s campaign to prod Americans to buy digital
TV sets. The letter follows.<br>
<br>
Dear Senator:<br>
<br>
On October 4th, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael
Powell announced that the FCC was launching a campaign to convince the
public to buy digital television sets. The campaign even has a website,
at <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.dtv.gov">www.dtv.gov</a>,
bearing the slogan “DTV: Get It!”<br>
<br>
Many of these new digital TV sets are extremely expensive – some cost
$3,000 dollars or more – which says a lot about why consumer
electronics companies such as Sony and Panasonic are “partnering” with
the FCC to promote them.<br>
<br>
Do you really believe that with all the troubles facing our nation, the
federal government should be on a crusade to encourage people to buy
costly new television sets?<br>
<br>
Television is a major public health problem. It is a factor in many
diseases, syndromes and unhealthy habits, including obesity, type 2
diabetes, violence, aggression, attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder, poor fitness and smoking.<br>
<br>
Television is an incubator of disrespect for parents. TV ads are
crafted to set children against their parents and stir dissension in
the home. In addition, some political theorists, such as Robert
Putnam, believe that television is in part responsible for civic
decline in the United States.<br>
<br>
Americans don't need the federal government telling them to buy new
television sets, and they certainly don't need their hard-earned tax
dollars spent in this manner.<br>
<br>
We strongly urge you eliminate all funding for this campaign
immediately.<br>
<br>
Sincerely,<br>
<br>
Nicholas Johnson, former Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission<br>
Tim Kasser, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology, Knox College;
author, <i>The High Price of Materialism</i><br>
Diane E. Levin, PhD, Professor of Education, Wheelock College<br>
Susan Linn, EdD, Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School;
Co-founder, Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children; author, <i>Consuming
Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood</i><br>
Bob McCannon, Executive Director, New Mexico Media Literacy Project<br>
Peggy O'Mara, Editor and Publisher, Mothering Magazine<br>
Alvin F. Poussaint, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical
School; Director, Media Center of the Judge Baker Children's Center<br>
Jonathan Rowe, writer<br>
Gary Ruskin, Executive Director, Commercial Alert<br>
Juliet Schor, PhD, Professor of Sociology, Boston College; author, <i>Born
to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture</i><br>
Victor Strasburger, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Chief, Division of
Adolescent Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine;
co-author, <i>Children, Adolescents, & the Media</i><br>
Frank Vespe, Executive Director, TV-Turnoff Network<br>
Rob Williams, President, Action Coalition for Media Education<br>
Diane Wood, Executive Director, Center for a New American Dream<br>
<br>
<------letter ends here------><br>
<br>
<b>Background</b><br>
For more information about the public health effects of television see:<br>
* our web page on television at:<br>
<a
href="http://www.commercialalert.org/index.php/category_id/1/subcategory_id/29/article_id/117">http://www.commercialalert.org/index.php/category_id/1/subcategory_id/29/article_id/117</a>
<br>
* the TV facts and figures web page from our friends at the TV-Turnoff
Network:<br>
<a href="http://www.tvturnoff.org/research.htm">http://www.tvturnoff.org/research.htm</a><br>
<br>
Following is an article in the October 5th Wall Street Journal.<br>
<a
href="http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB109692847538435778,00.html"><br>
http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB109692847538435778,00.html</a><br>
<br>
FCC Launches Initiative To Push Digital TVs<br>
by Anne Marie Squeo <br>
<br>
Uncle Sam wants you -- to buy a digital television.<br>
<br>
So much so that the federal government is launching a national
campaign, in partnership with consumer-electronics makers and
retailers, to explain what to look for in a digital TV set.<br>
<br>
The age of digital television, which provides home viewers with more of
a cinematic experience from their sofa, has been promised for nearly 20
years. While digital-television sales are increasing, many consumers
have held off purchases amid widespread confusion about the need for
these sets, which can cost hundreds of dollars more than traditional
analog TVs.<br>
<br>
Now the federal government wants to finalize the so-called digital
transition, which was supposed to take place by 2006 but has been
postponed until 2009. By educating consumers about the benefits of the
technology, regulators are hoping to entice people expecting to buy a
new television in coming years to go digital instead.<br>
<br>
This 32-inch high-definition set from Sharp can receive digital
programming. But it goes for $3,999 -- hundreds of dollars more than a
typical analog model.<br>
<br>
Using the slogan "DTV: Get It!," Federal Communications Commission
Chairman Michael Powell announced a major initiative by the agency to
educate the public about what digital television is and what is needed
to get it. "For years, the transition has moved along sluggishly," said
Mr. Powell, who likened the resistance to what existed when color first
came to a nation dominated by black-and-white TVs. "The FCC felt the
need to jump in and provide some leadership."<br>
<br>
To that end, the FCC has launched <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="http://www.dtv.gov1">www.dtv.gov</a>, a Web site that
provides shopping tips such as what equipment is necessary to make
digital television work. It also tells details what shows currently air
digitally in various areas. In one random neighborhood in Washington,
for example, CBS's "CSI: Miami" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" are
available in the high-definition format, as well as ABC network's
"Monday Night Football." For those without Internet access, a toll-free
phone number, 1-888-CALL-FCC, is available.<br>
<br>
Digital television sends signals using computer code -- ones and zeroes
-- that allows broadcasting content to be compressed to provide better
sound and picture quality than conventional analog sets. Traditional
televisions, by contrast, rely on a continuous electronic signal that
is more susceptible to interference and has less clarity. Analog
television sets provide resolution of as many as 480 horizontal lines,
while digital transmissions more than double that, allowing for a
deeper level of picture detail.<br>
<br>
There are various types of digital television, with Standard Definition
Television, or SDTV, as the basic kind and High-Definition Television,
or HDTV, as the premier version that offers the crispest images and the
most extra features.<br>
<br>
One of the biggest factors delaying the adoption of digital televisions
has been the cost. A basic 32-inch digital television can cost at least
$1,000 compared with $270 for an analog model. According to the Web
site for electronics retailer Circuit City, a 34-inch, high-definition
Sony television costs $1,999. Circuit City, as well as Best Buy,
RadioShack and Tweeter, are among a number of retailers that are
teaming up with the federal government to educate consumers, making the
FCC's tip sheets available in their stores.<br>
<br>
Since 2000, about 12.3 million digital television products have been
sold in the U.S., according to the Consumer Electronics Association, an
industry trade group. By comparison, nearly 102 million analog sets
were sold during the same period.<br>
<br>
<-----article ends here------><br>
<br>
<b>What you can do</b><br>
Send an email to FCC Chairman Michael Powell (<a
href="mailto:Michael.Powell@fcc.gov">Michael.Powell@fcc.gov</a>)
suggesting that he should stop acting as our nation's #1 digital TV
salesman, and do something constructive instead (such as reducing the
concentration of media ownership, promoting low-power FM radio,
granting free airtime to political campaigns, etc.) <br>
<br>
<b>About Commercial Alert</b><br>
Commercial Alert is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is
to keep the commercial culture within its proper sphere, and to prevent
it from exploiting children and subverting the higher values of family,
community, environmental integrity and democracy. For more information,
or to become a member, go to <a href="http://www.commercialalert.org">http://www.commercialalert.org</a>.<br>
<br>
Commercial Alert's materials are distributed via our email list. To
subscribe, go to <a
href="http://lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/commercial-alert">http://lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/commercial-alert</a>,
or send a blank message to <a
href="mailto:subscribe@commercialalert.org">subscribe@commercialalert.org</a>.
Subscribers receive 1-2 emails per week, at most.<br>
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