FCC Sets Agenda For DTV Education Workshop

The FCC has named panelists and set a September 26 date for its DTV Consumer Education Workshop. This all-day event will take place in the Commission Meeting Room at the FCC headquarters in Washington, DC. The purpose of the event is to give all interested parties a chance to discuss challenges and coordinated education activities related to the DTV transition.

After a period of pre-program demonstrations, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin will speak. Then a government and industry panel will include Cathey Seidel, chief of the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau; Tony Wilhem, director of Consumer Education program for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is in charge of getting nearly $1.5 billion worth of $40 coupons for DTV tuners into the public’s hands; and representatives from the Consumer Electronic Retailers Coalition, CEA, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, and NAB.

The second panel will feature consumer advocacy groups and will include John Lawton, president and CEO of the Association for Public Television Stations (APTS). The more consumer groups will join a roundtable. Reps from. Representatives from the American Association of Disabilities, AARP, NAACP, the National Puerto Rican Coalition, and the U.S. Administration on Aging have been invited.

Technical demos will remain open until 3:45 p.m. During the workshop, the public may email questions to the panelists at dtvworkshop@fcc.gov. A live audiocast of the event will be available on the FCC’s website on a first-come, first-served basis at www.fcc.gov.