Both the Consumers Union and the National Association of Broadcasters fired off studies measuring the state of consumer awareness concerning the upcoming DTV transition (see related story), which is barely over a year away. Noting that a successful transition will rely on contributions from all three sectors, including industry, government and the watchdog community, Martin said, "I welcome today’s surveys by Consumers Union and the NAB, which provide important information about current levels of consumer awareness. As the NAB notes, the fact that more Americans are aware of the upcoming transition is a big step in the right direction. It is equally important, however as highlighted by Consumers Union, that consumers understand how to be prepared. I want to thank both of our partners, Consumers Union and NAB for conducting these surveys and sharing valuable research to better to guide our education and outreach efforts."
TVBR/RBR observation: At this stage of the game, it is interesting to note that in general the principal participants in this massive endeavor are generally working and playing well together. The Consumer Report study noted that there was much work to be done to make consumers DTV literate, but at the same time it did not lash out strongly against any one of the stakeholders.
Interestingly enough, most of what acrimony there is seems to be emanating from Congress – we’ll get a good measure of just how much there is in a couple of weeks when both the House and Senate hold hearings on the topic. It is ironic that most of the public criticism of the process is coming from the one place that has the power to invest some cold hard cash into educating consumers, a power it has not bothered to exercise.
