Our decision today to adopt the modified ATSC digital television standard launches the United States into a new broadcast era. It promises the American consumer not just theater-quality pictures and sound, but also a plethora of innovative products and services. Advanced television sets may access and display data as well as video, while computers may receive and process video as well as data, all delivered by broadcast stations. Our decision also provides a springboard for global leadership in high definition digital equipment and programming. No other world-wide standard offers such flexibility and computer compatibility, packaged in an efficient, six megahertz of spectrum.
Most consumers obtain their news and information from broadcast sources.
When station ownership is widely held, the diversity of voices serves as an insurance policy for democracy. The decision to convert from an analog to a digital broadcasting system will profoundly affect all consumers. Once the conversion is completed our present television sets no longer will work without a digital decoder. Some argue that the marketplace, rather than the government, should dictate the transmission technology. I strongly believe it is in the public interest to facilitate a smooth and rapid transition.