NCTA DTV-Transition Campaign Wins Plaudits From Lawmakers

Lawmakers, Interest Groups Give Cable Ads Thumbs Up; NAB Voices Must-Carry Concerns

By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 9/7/2007 8:52:00 AM

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association earned broad support from lawmakers and interest groups for its TV campaign promoting cable services in advance of the February 2009 digital-television transition, while the National Association of Broadcasters objected that the industry’s claim it will make the DTV switchover “seamless” is at odds with cable opposition to so-called dual must carry.

The NCTA’s four initial 30-second segments, ostensibly public-service announcements, emphasize that cable will “work just fine” after the DTV transition date, when TV broadcasters will be forced to stop sending out analog signals. The association committed $200 million in spending on broadcast ads and cable airtime over the next 18 months.

Democrat Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, said the NCTA education campaign “has provided high-definition clarity to an indispensable element to any successful DTV transition -- generating consumer awareness. I urge other industry groups to similarly commence action on their own consumer-education efforts as soon as possible.”

Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez called it “exactly the cooperation needed to help the public become more aware of their options for transitioning way in advance.”

Also supporting cable, Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) quipped: “Snow is fine in February, just not on your TV. It's important for consumers to know now that the transition is coming.”

Other legislators backing the NCTA campaign include Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), ranking member on Energy and Commerce; and Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), ranking member of the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee.

Trade groups including the Consumer Electronics Association praised the move. “We are proud to partner with our cable friends, through the DTV Transition Coalition and CEA’s own extensive education efforts, to ensure that all Americans have the necessary information about the DTV transition,” CEO Gary Shapiro said in a statement Thursday, adding, “We also look forward to working with our broadcast partners when they begin utilizing their valuable airwaves to inform consumers about the transition.”

However, the NAB -- which expects to launch its own DTV public-service ads later this fall -- complained that cable customers who subscribe to analog-video service would not necessarily receive local TV channels after Feb. 17, 2009, if cable were to block an Federal Communications Commission proposal to require most operators to distribute both analog and digital under must-carry provisions. The NCTA has called the FCC’s “dual must carry” plan unconstitutional.

“The cable industry is leading the American public to believe that the digital transition will be ‘seamless’ for cable subscribers,” the NAB and the Association for Maximum Service Television said, in a letter sent Thursday to FCC chairman Kevin Martin. “But if cable has its way, it will fail to live up to that expectation.”

Initially, the NAB responded to the NCTA PSA announcement with a statement saying “any group or organization that helps raise awareness of the DTV transition is helping that cause.”

But cable appears to be seeking a compromise on the must-carry issue. Multichannel News reported Thursday that the NCTA is offering to carry broadcasters’ analog and digital signals until 2012, three years after the DTV cutover date. 

The NCTA’s four ads feature testimonials in English and Spanish from real cable customers, who were paid a nominal fee to appear in the ads.

Hispanic groups, for their part, were pleased that the NCTA DTV campaign will include a Spanish-language ad.

“As new programming catering towards Latinos continues to flourish, we are proud to say that the Hispanic community is being recognized as a critical part of mainstream America and that Latinos are central to the future of digital TV,” said Lillian Rodriguez Lopez, president of the Hispanic Federation, which represents 90 Latino health and human service agencies in the Northeast U.S.