NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 For Immediate Release: News Media Contact: August 28, 2007 Rosemary Kimball at (202) 418-0511 e-mail: rosemary.kimball@fcc.gov FCC ANNOUNCES PRELIMINARY AGENDA FOR DIGITAL TELEVISION CONSUMER EDUCATION WORKSHOP ON SEPTEMBER 26 Washington, DC – The Federal Communications Commission today announced the agenda topics and tentative speakers for the Digital Television Consumer Education Workshop to be held Wednesday, September 26, 2007, at FCC Headquarters, 445 12th St., SW, Washington, DC, in the Commission Meeting Room. It will begin at 8:00 AM and end at 3:45 PM. The purpose of the workshop is to provide an opportunity for all interested parties to jointly discuss the challenges associated with the upcoming transition and explore ways to develop coordinated consumer education activities. Organizations representing a broad range of consumers and other stakeholders will be represented, including those who represent senior citizens, low-income consumers, non-English speakers, people with disabilities, tribes, and public interest organizations working on behalf of underserved customers or those living in rural areas. A preliminary agenda is attached. During the workshop, the public can e-mail questions for the panelists at dtvworkshop@fcc.gov Open captioning and sign language interpreters will be provided for this event. Other reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Please include a description of the accommodation you will need and as much detail as possible. Also, please include your contact information. Make your request as early as possible. Last minute requests will be accepted, but may not be possible to fill. Send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). A live audiocast of the hearing will be available at the FCC’s website at http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/#sep26 on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition, the hearing will be recorded, and the recording will be made available to the public. For more information, please contact Pam Slipakoff at (202) 418- 7705, pam.slipakoff@fcc.gov, or Lauren Patrich at (202) 418-7944, lauren.patrich@fcc.gov. - FCC - 2 PRELIMINARY AGENDA FOR FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION DIGITAL TELEVISION CONSUMER EDUCATION WORKSHOP FCC Headquarters 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20554 Commission Meeting Room September 26, 2007 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Pre-Program Demonstrations (Demonstrations will include converter box use, digital televisions and comparisons to analog use) 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Welcome FCC Chairman Martin 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. What Are the Government’s and Industry’s Roles in Facilitating the DTV Transition? Panelists: Federal Communications Commission – Cathy Seidel, Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce - Tony Wilhem, Director of Consumer Education Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition – Marc Pearl, Executive Director Consumer Electronics Association - Julie Kearney, Senior Director and Regulatory Counsel National Cable Television Association - Rob Stoddard, SVP, Communications and Public Affairs National Association of Broadcasters - Jonathan Collegio, VP, Digital Television Transition 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Consumer Interest and Advocacy Group Roundtable – Part I (General Consumer Groups) Panelists: Representative from Alliance for Public Television (invited) Association of Public Television Stations –John Lawson, President and CEO 3 Consumer Action – Linda Sherry, Director of National Priorities Representative from Consumer Federation of America (invited) National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators - Elizabeth Owen, Executive Director National Consumers League – Susan Grant, VP Public Policy Representative from Consumer’s Union (invited) 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch Break Attendees are encouraged to visit the technical demonstrations and have information discussions with other participants. 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Consumer Interest and Advocacy Group Roundtable – Part II (Specific Populations) Panelists: American Association of People with Disabilities – Jenifer Simpson, Senior Director, Telecommunications and Technology Policy Representative from AARP (invited) Representative from Appalachian Regional Commission/ Rural Broadband Coalition (invited) Representataive from La Raza (invited) Representative from NAACP (invited) National Puerto Rican Coalition – Manual Mirabal, President and CEO Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA) – Noah Cuttler, Director of Regulatory Affairs Representative from U.S. Administration on Aging/U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services (invited) Representative from U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (invited) 4 Native Public Media – Loris Taylor, Executive Director Southeast Asia Resource Action Center – Doua Thor, Executive Director 2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Wrap Up 2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Technical Demonstrations Remain Open *There will be time for question and answer following each panel discussion.