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High definition television -- Is it stuck in left field?
September 17, 1997
Web posted at: 4:02 a.m. EST (0902 GMT)WASHINGTON (CNN) -- High definition television may have hit a home run Tuesday night. During what was billed as the first-ever live digital broadcast of a major sporting event, viewers of the Baltimore Orioles game got a taste of the clarity and sharpness of digital television.
Despite governmental support, HDTV, however, may still be ballparks away from your television screen.
In 1996, lawmakers voted to give broadcasters extra channels worth billions of dollars for free under the belief that they would be used to provide high-definition television to the public.
Yet neither Congress nor the FCC requires stations to air a certain number of programs in the high-definition format, and a 1996 telecommunications law essentially gave broadcasters the right to use the extra channels as they see fit. This means broadcasters could offer either high-definition TV, regular digital television, or a combination of both.
Now, some broadcasters are balking at offering it at all, saying that they haven't yet decided what to offer viewers. They are considering options such as digital television and HDTV, or using extra channel space to offer new services, some possibly for a fee. ABC and Sinclair Broadcasting, for example, are considering using the high-capacity digital spectrum to broadcast lower resolution pay TV channels instead.
Lawmakers who voted to give broadcasters the valuable space to develop the technology are crying foul.
"Congress gave them $70 billion dollars of spectrum to use for HDTV. They want to use it for something else, they're going to have to pay somebody," said Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-Louisiana.
The same 1996 law that gave broadcasters the free channels also mandates that they pay the government a fee if they charge for services.
Some lawmakers say if broadcasters do not offer HDTV, they will be breaking a promise to Congress.
"The record is clear," said Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, a key telecommunications lawmaker who plans a hearing Wednesday on the matter. "They made commitments for getting the spectrum free. In return for that, the American people would get this new technological marvel."
The Federal Communications Commission requires that stations owned or affiliated with the ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox networks in the 10 largest TV markets to begin providing some digital broadcasts within two years.
Some stations have pledged to offer broadcast in time for the 1998 holiday shopping season. In fact, most broadcasters say they still plan to develop HDTV, and to start delivering it to homes next year.
"Stations in the top 10 markets owned by or affiliated with the major networks have agreed they will be up and running 6 months ahead of schedule. So I don't think the industry is dragging its feet," said Charles Sherman, vice president of the National Association of Broadcasters.
The chairman of the FCC says Congress should mind its own business.
"Let people take these digital TV licenses and invent the products that customers will like. That's what happens in a marketplace," said FCC Chairman Reed Hundt.
Whether viewers are willing to pay for the improved picture quality remains a question, given the fact that HDTV sets will start at about $3,000 and most home TV sets can't receive the HDTV signal. Developers, however, says their surveys show consumers would be willing to pay more.
Despite the controversy, the industry hopes demonstrations like the Orioles baseball game will hit a home run and lure viewers to the new technology.
Correspondent Kathleen Koch and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- HDTV: New TV, but not just digital - April 3, 1997
- Pricey digital TV is next techno frontier - April 3, 1997
Related sites:
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- Federal Communications Commission
- HDTV Newsletter
- High Definition FAQs - from Sony Online
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