The U.S. Gets Ready for DTTV At midnight on February 17, 2009, all full-power U.S. terrestrial TV stations (those that cover large areas) will stop analog transmission and broadcast only in digital. At that time all households that are currently receiving a TV signal through an antenna — 14 percent of all TV households (15.5 million households) — will have three choices: getting a digital converter, buying a digital TV set or subscribing to a digital TV service (such as cable, satellite or IPTV). The U.S. telecommunications authority, the FCC, does not requires cable TV systems to convert to digital. Cable TV operators can therefore repeat channels in the analog system, but are then obligated to offer all local TV stations in analog. If the cable TV service becomes fully digital (to make room for new channels), reception with an analog TV set will require a converter. Satellite TV, which is always digital, uses an analog converter, while an IPTV converter makes use of the TV set’s video and audio jacks. For consumers, the least expensive choice is, of course, the purchase of a converter. To help families with the digital switch, the U.S. government has developed an elaborate support program. Through the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA), the U.S. government is running a “TV converter box coupon program.” To inform the public, NTIA has a website — www.dtv2009.gov (available in 12 languages) — and public service announcements on television. Participating stores that actually sell the digital converters are also involved in educating consumers. The focus of the program is the distribution of $40 vouchers for the purchase of a converter box (which costs between $40 and $70). Each family can request up to two vouchers. The request can be made directly through the NTIA website, by toll free telephone numbers or by mail. The coupon is mailed out 15 days after NTIA receives the request and is valid for 90 days. If the voucher is lost or damaged, it cannot be replaced. All participating stores offer technical support and are required to sell only NTIA-approved converters (of which there are currently 70 models). The program will cost the U.S. Federal Government $1.5 million (covered by the revenues from the auction of the analog frequencies, which generated $19 billion). It is estimated that, at the end of the program, NTIA will have financed a total of 50 million converters. The program will end on March 31, 2009. Latin America Gets Scolded Rampant government interference with press freedom threatens editorial independence and access to unbiased news in seven Latin American countries, according to a new report, “The Price of Silence: The Growing Threat of Soft Censorship in Latin America.” The study is published by the New York-based Open Society Justice Institute, a branch of the Open Society Institute that, in turn, is part of Hungarian-born U.S. billionaire George Soros’ Foundation Network. The study catalogues abuses in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Peru, and Uruguay, including the widespread use of public funds to reward or punish news coverage. “The Price of Silence” documents various types of interference, including evidence of direct government payments to journalists in Colombia and Peru; local authorities in Chile dictating what journalists can write about, and a highranking official in Costa Rica attempting to use advertising contracts to influence the outcome of a protracted political battle. In addition to denouncing abuses, the study makes 11 specific recommendations to all Latin American governments. The report is available in its entirety online at: http://www.justiceinitiative.org/db/ resource2?res_id=104124 NO V E M B E R/ DE C E M B E R 2 0 0 8 (Continued on Page 4)
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