An appeal from two trade organizations to delay requirements for 50 percent of mid size TVs to be digital-ready blew up today.
Maybe they shouldn’t have filed that request after all.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Consumer Electronics Retail Association (CERC) sought a delay in complying with the FCC mandate. The FCC has been pushing the industry to make TVs and TV receiving devices include a digital TV tuner.
Originally, manufacturers were looking at a full compliance date of July 1, 2007. That was when all TVs 13 inches and up and all TV receiving devices were to have digital tuners included. The FCC has proposed moving that date to December 31, 2006, and has invited public comments on the proposal.
Also, the deadline for 50 percent compliance in mid-size TVs caused the two associations to claim problems in the marketplace would arise. In response, the FCC moved the deadline from July 1, 2006 to March 1, 2006, and mandated that one hundred percent of mid-size TVs be in compliance by that date.
Said Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy: “I applaud the Consumer Electronics Association and Consumer Electronics Retailers Association for ultimately recognizing the independent value of accelerating the end point of this transition, independent of the delay they sought on the front end.
“This Order makes important progress by ensuring that all sets in the relevant size range will have digital tuners by March 2006, rather than the original deadline of July 2006.”
David Utter is a staff writer for murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
