FCC Sets Standard for Digital TVs

Federal regulators gave a nudge of support to digital television Friday, but not the big push feared by set manufacturers and some consumer advocates.

The Federal Communications Commission settled a long-running dispute over the transmission standard for digital TV, affirming its support for a technology that more than 170 stations and numerous set manufacturers have adopted. Prompted by a new study of the competing transmission technologies, the FCC’s move enables consumers to buy digital sets without worrying that stations might switch to a new, incompatible technology.

The commissioners also agreed to consider a more dramatic boost for digital TV: requiring set makers to include digital receivers in a portion of their new sets. But they stopped short of proposing that all sets include digital receivers by a specific date, a mandate advocated by broadcasters and outgoing FCC Chairman William E. Kennard.

The FCC ordered TV broadcasters in April 1997 to begin the shift from analog to digital, giving them up to six years to begin transmitting on their new digital channels. But consumers have balked at the expensive digital sets needed to tune in to the new channels, and broadcasters haven’t invested much in digital programming because the potential audience is so small.

Kennard urged Congress last October to require all TVs to include digital receivers by a certain date, such as Jan. 1, 2003. His speech triggered an uproar among set manufacturers and consumer groups, who warned that digital receivers could add hundreds of dollars to the cost of a set.

Rather than formally proposing a requirement for digital receivers, the commission issued a notice of proposed rule-making asking whether such a requirement might drive down the costs and accelerate the adoption of digital sets. It also asks whether the requirement should be limited to large-screen TVs and whether it should be phased in over time.