Tag Archives: DTV Education Initiative

Nightlight, Pink Slips

By FHH Law on April 2, 2009 Posted in Media

A TV station providing "enhanced analog nightlight service" asked the Commission if it could please be relieved of the final three weeks of its analog service commitment. There did not appear to be any significant public concern about continued analog service,and keeping the analog in operation would seriously threaten three staffers whose positions would otherwise have to be terminated.… Continue Reading

Friday the 13th Meets Groundhog Day.

By Anne Goodwin Crump on March 13, 2009 Posted in Media

It's déjà vu all over again. As expected, the Commission has acted, once again on a Friday (and yes, again on a Friday the 13th), to revise its required procedures with regard to termination of analog operations and consumer education announcements.… Continue Reading

DTV Countdown Down For the Count

By Anne Goodwin Crump on March 4, 2009 Posted in Media

On March 3, the FCC waived the new-and-improved 100-Day Countdown requirement pending resolution of the February 20 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). So scratch that new 100-Day Countdown, at least for the time being.… Continue Reading

New Rules On Pulling the Analog Plug

By FHH Law on February 5, 2009 Posted in Media

On Thursday afternoon, February 5, the FCC released its long-anticipated public notice regarding termination of analog service on or after February 17 in light of the change in the DTV Transition date from February 17 to June 12.… Continue Reading

Roadmap to a February 17 Analog Shut-down

By FHH Law on January 30, 2009 Posted in Media

If you're planning to permanently cease broadcasting your analog signal as of February 17 (assuming the transition date does get delayed), you need to do a couple of things and you need to do them quickly.… Continue Reading

FCC Leaves The Light On

By FHH Law on January 16, 2009 Posted in Media

As directed by Congress last month, the FCC adopted rules on January 15, 2009, permitting many full power TV stations to continue to operate their analog transmitters beyond February 17, 2009, when all normal full power normal analog broadcasting is scheduled to end. Analog transmitters may stay on the air only to transmit emergency messages and information about the DTV transition and must shut down completely no later than 11:59:59 p.m. on March 19, 2009.… Continue Reading

DTV Transition Extension – The Line(s) From Vegas

By FHH Law on January 11, 2009 Posted in Media

The deadline is a statutory matter. The FCC technically has no say in the date. But that hasn't stopped a couple of the Commissioners from doing their best to muddy the already muddied waters just a little bit more.… Continue Reading

DTV Transition Extension: What’s the Over/Under?

By FHH Law on January 8, 2009 Posted in Media

We're starting to hear rumblings that February 17 might have to step aside for some later date - to be determined - for the DTV transition.… Continue Reading

“Analog Nightlight” Update: Comments Are Due January 5

By FHH Law on December 31, 2008 Posted in Media

If you are planning to file comments on the FCC's effort to implement the "analog nightlight" service, you'd better put aside thoughts of a pleasant New Year's Eve and New Year's Day holiday and start drafting now. Comments are officially due on Monday, January 5, 2009. Reply comments are due three days later, on Thursday, January 8.… Continue Reading

“Analog Nightlight” Service Standards Proposed

By FHH Law on December 27, 2008 Posted in Media

Acting with blazing speed, on Christmas Eve the Commission released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) setting out the tentative standards and processes for implementation of the SAFER Act which was signed into law on December 23, just the day before the NPRM was released. The SAFER Act - which the FCC now catchily refers to as the "Analog Nightlight Act" - authorizes continued, albeit very limited, operation of some analog TV stations beyond the previously-established February 17, 2009, termination date of such operation.… Continue Reading

It’s Not Just a Bill – It’s the LAW!

By FHH Law on December 23, 2008 Posted in Media

It’s official. According to the White House, President Bush has signed the SAFER Act on December 23. Analog TV will live on for another 30 days – subject to the limitations we described in our earlier post.… Continue Reading

SAFER Act Passed

By FHH Law on December 12, 2008 Posted in Media

It looks like over-the-air analog TV will live on beyond February 17, 2009, thanks to Congress - but at most it will live on only for 30 days, and only subject to severe content limitations. On December 11, Congress passed the Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness ("SAFER") Act.… Continue Reading

DIGITAL TV TRANSITION Ford Fusion Doesn’t Crash in Final Race!!!!

By FHH Law on November 19, 2008 Posted in Media

Elvis has left the building. The 2008 NASCAR season wrapped up on November 16 at the Ford 400 in Homestead, Florida, where the good news was that the Number 38 Ford Fusion finally managed to finish a race while sporting the bureaucratically text-heavy/graphics-free/black-and-white standards of its sponsor, the FCC.… Continue Reading

On Fire, DIGITAL TV TRANSITION Ford Fusion Takes to the Airways – Literally

By FHH Law on November 10, 2008 Posted in Media

After a disappointing maiden appearance at Martinsville last month, the Number 38 FCC DIGITAL TV TRANSITION Ford Fusion came up short again in its sophomore run at the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at the Phoenix International Raceway on November 9. But at least it went out in style.… Continue Reading

Still Searching for Mr. Goodwrench?

By FHH Law on October 23, 2008 Posted in Media

We offer no comment on the story (“FCC’s Martin Named ‘Porker of the Month’”), which appeared in TVNewsday on October 23. We do, however, observe that Commissioner Adelstein is quoted there as having said of the decision to sponsor the Number 38 Digital TV Transition Ford Fusion: “This doesn’t seem like the most efficient use of … Continue Reading

Number 38 Crashes, Leaving FCC at 0-1 on the NASCAR Circuit

By FHH Law on October 20, 2008 Posted in Media

The headline on our update late last Friday (10/17) on L’Affaire NASCAR (“L’Affaire NASCAR: The Yellow Caution Flag Comes Out”) appears to have been more predictive than we imagined. On Sunday (10/19) at the TUMS QuikPak 500 in Martinsville, the eleventh caution flag of the afternoon came out in Lap 485 when the Number 38 … Continue Reading

L’Affaire NASCAR: The Yellow Caution Flag Comes Out

By FHH Law on October 17, 2008 Posted in Media

Attentive readers of this blog probably noticed the posting below about the FCC’s sponsorship of the Number 38 Digital TV Transition Ford Fusion. And really attentive readers may have noticed that, in the accompanying graphic, it originally appeared that Commissioner Copps was riding shotgun while Chairman Martin did the steering. The graphic no longer includes Copps because … Continue Reading

The FCC Heads For the Pit

By FHH Law on October 17, 2008 Posted in Media

With analog DTV shut down coming up fast, FCC looks for some "shut down" action of its own as it shoots for Victory Lane on the NASCAR circuit.… Continue Reading

DTV Education Initiative Form Available; Deadline Looming

By FHH Law on April 1, 2008 Posted in Deadlines, Media

By Lee Petro and Harry Cole
703-812-0400
email

As reported yesterday, the rules for the DTV Education Initiative became effective on March 31, 2008. The FCC has also received final approval for the FCC Form 388 and, as of April 1, the Commission has posted the form on its webpage.

Heads up!!! Form 388 is NOT available in CDBS. Rather, it must be filed as a Report in MB Docket 07-148. That means that you will have to access the blank form on the Commission's website (at the address indicated above), print ...… Continue Reading

DTV Education Initiative Effective Dates

By FHH Law on March 31, 2008 Posted in Deadlines, Media

By Lee Petro
703-812-0453
email

As previously reported, the Commission adopted rules requiring broadcasters, MVPDs and telecommunications carriers to engage in a coordinated educational campaign regarding the DTV Transition. The rules were to become effective once (a) the FCC's notice had been published in the Federal Register, (b) the Office of Management and Budget had approved the new "information collection" requirements, and (c) notice of the OMB's approval had been published in the
Federal Register. Those three events have all occurred - the last occurring with the March 31 Federal Register notice of OMB's approval. That Notice
indicates that: the rules become effective March 31; ...… Continue Reading

DTV Public Outreach Outlined

By FHH Law on March 4, 2008 Posted in Deadlines, Media

By Lee Petro
703-812-0453
email

The Commission released an Order on Monday, March 3rd requiring broadcasters, MVPDs (i.e., cable, satellite), manufacturers and wireless service providers to commence specific public outreach initiatives to educate the public on DTV Transition matters. The Commission had released proposed rules in July, 2007, and has now taken steps to implement several of the proposed rules.

On the broadcast side, the Commission will require TV licensees to select one of three outreach programs. Each of the options includes a mix of Program Service Announcements (PSAs) and video crawls - all ...

NAB Offers Preview of DTV Education Plan

By FHH Law on August 22, 2007 Posted in Media

By Ron Whitworth
703-812-0478
email

In a letter to Chairman Kevin Martin on Tuesday, the National Association of Broadcasters informed the Commission of its plans to educate the public on the February 17, 2009 hard date to complete the digital transition.

As reported in Michael Richards' article posted August 21, the Commission is seeking public comment concerning how to best prepare the public for the transition. The NAB letter, written by NAB Joint Chairman Jack Sander, previewed the formal comments that the association will file in the proceeding ...

FCC Considers Compelled Promotion of DTV Transition

By FHH Law on August 21, 2007 Posted in Media

By Michael Richards
703-812-0456
email

TV broadcasters may need to adjust their budgets just a tad more for the upcoming DTV transition. It's possible that they'll be having to cough up air time for spots to inform the 10-to-15 percent of TV households without cable or satellite service that their 30-year-old Zeniths may show nothing but snow once D-Day arrives.

In defense of the FCC, the Commission did not come up with this idea - or, more accurately, this inchoate bundle of concepts that might someday congeal into a coherent idea ...

Analog TV Consumer Disclosure — EFFECTIVE MAY 25

By FHH Law on May 23, 2007 Posted in Deadlines, Media

By Mitchell Lazarus
703-812-0440
email

Effective May 25 -- this coming Friday -- sellers of analog-only TV must display the following text on signs on or near product displays, and in offers for sale in catalogs, direct mail, websites, and emails:

"CONSUMER ALERT This television receiver has only an analog broadcast tuner and will require a converter box after February 17, 2009, to receive over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna because of the Nation's transition to digital broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should continue to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, ...