The Debate On the Future of Television /Please read and review for your sake
BBr...@aol.com
I am forwarding this letter from Charles Benton. I served on the National
Information Infrastructure Advisory Council. Most people have never heard of
it. Many people complained that the information was not given to them to react
to. A lot of people have no idea what the NIIAC was.(The Benton Foundation has
held all of the telecommunications work in legacy at www.benton.org.
<A HREF="http://www.benton.org/">The Benton Foundation</A> )
I want to make sure that the same thing does not happen to this group. Please
read and react to this letter. Share it with your friends. What can we do
about television? What are your concerns? Speak to the government, and the
people making recommendations. Involve your
local stakeholders, in this discussion. Have your groups think about and react
to this. If you want to you can join the list serv. Please share your ideas
and concerns, and distribute this to your community.Don't forget that everyone
is not on line. Print out a copy if you must.
Bonnie Bracey
Send correspondence to cha...@benton.org
<A HREF="http://www.benton.org/Policy/TV/">The Debate On the Future of
Television</A>
Digital TV: Unlocking the Power to Serve
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An adage in the television industry goes: not everyone you met is a doctor,
not everyone you meet is a lawyer, but everyone you meet is a television
programmer. Everyone has an opinion about what they see on TV.
Over the past 14 months, I have served on a Presidential Advisory Committee on
Digital TV with 21 other representatives of the industry, labor unions,
minority organizations, independent producers, children's advocates, and
public advocates. The question before the Committee has been how to redefine
the compact between local broadcasters and the communities they are licensed
to serve for the digital age. For years, the agreement has meant that
broadcasters get free use of a valuable public resource - called spectrum - in
exchange for the promise to serve as trustees acting in the "public interest,
convenience, and necessity.
By 2006, broadcasters are to complete a transition from today's analog TV
system to DTV. For broadcasters, the transition will give them the ability to
offer a wide, new array of services: high-definition television (HDTV) with
picture and sound quality that rivals a movie theater experience, multiple,
simultaneous programming channels with a quality equal to or better than
today's service, the ability to provide subscription and pay-per-view
programming, as well as paging and wireless telephone service. Broadcasters
could also use the technology to make television more interactive with a
service called datacasting. But what's in it for the public? What will "in the
public interest" mean in the 21st Century when digital TV is apt to become as
ubiquitous as today's analog TVs? Exit polls after November's election
identified education as the #1 issues for voters. Well, there's another adage
about television: there's no disagreement that it educates, it's what it
teaches that causes all the controversy.
In a report the Committee is sending to Vice President Gore today, December
18, we recommend that broadcasters do more to address the concerns of the
public and unlock the educational potential of digital television. Our
recommendations call for broadcasters to provide and support a wide range of
educational programming for children and adults alike on there own channels
and a new, commercial-free service. We recommend that broadcasters develop
means for determining their community's needs and interests and providing
programming around those needs. We suggest improved reporting requirements so
that the public has a better sense of how broadcasters are serving their
interests. We ask broadcasters to improve their coverage of campaigns and
candidates and to challenge Congress to pass comprehensive campaign finance
reform. We recommend that broadcasters use their datacasting capacity to
provide interactive services to schools, libraries and other community
organizations.
Do you think you'd make a good television programmer? Do you believe
television is on the right track now? Would you like to see a reduction of the
violence and sex and sensationalism on TV as we embark into the digital
future? If you could control what's on TV, would you unlock the power of this
educational tool on serving the needs of children, your community and our
democracy?
I do not pose these as idle questions - the work of the President's Advisory
are recommendations that will go to the new Congress and the Federal
Communications Commission. Policymakers will have to hear from you if they are
to chart the right course for the digital future. A window of opportunity
exists over the next few months for you to leave your mark on how television
stations will be licensed to serve you and your community. Don't miss the
opportunity to have your say.
Charles Benton
cha...@benton.org
Chairman
Public Media Inc and the Benton Foundation