There are times when the pace of technology overtakes all else, including the pace of regulations. Digital encoding and transmission technology will give broadcasters the potential to send on a simultaneous basis not only video, but voice and data too. Thus, licensees of ATV channels can look forward to substantially increased technical capabilities due to this advanced technology. I am proud to be one of the facilitators bringing on this new digital age. I believe these are the right goals, and that we must balance them carefully as we continue to make the challenging transition.
Broadcasters help safeguard freedom of speech and of the press.
Broadcasters bring us a wide variety of entertainment, news, election updates, educational fare and other public service information. Television has become an integral part of the American life, giving us shared national experiences, inspiring and entertaining us, and sometimes disgusting and horrifying us. But always, television gives us ways to experience the broader world from the comfort of our own homes. In a digital world, there will be a continuing and vital role for broadcasters. The chararacteristic that separates commercial broadcasters from other communications industries is the fact that broadcasting is advertiser-supported and is freely available to anyone who owns a television set.