Be Careful What You Wish For

In June the FCC denied a request by the Consumer Electronics Association
(CEA) and the Consumer Electronics Retailers Association (CERC) to delay
the date by which half of mid-size TV receivers manufactured and
imported must include built-in digital television (DTV) tuners. And if
that wasn’t enough, the FCC then moved up the deadline for all mid-sized
TV sets to be compliant. Previous rulings order that large sets must
have the digital tuner built in and on the shelves for consumers by July
1 of this year. The original rules also said that at least 50% of the
mid-size TVs must have DTV tuners by July 1, 2005 the other half by July
1 2006. Yesterday’s ruling moved that latter date for 100% compliance up
to March 1, 2006. And small TVs must be DTV tuner compatible by July 1,
2007, the same deadline as other TV receiving devices including DVD-Rs
and VCRs.