REMARKS OF ACTING FCC CHAIRMAN MICHAEL J. COPPS
IN THE WAKE OF THE DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSITION
JUNE 13, 2009
Good afternoon. I want to welcome everyone to this press conference, the day 
after the end of full-power analog television broadcasting in the United States.
Yesterday was a truly historic day. For TV broadcasting, it was a final farewell to 
the Dinosaur Age and the dawn of the Digital Age. We said goodbye to the analog 
transmission technology that has served us well for the past 60 years and replaced it with 
something that can serve us even better. Digital will do for television what it has done 
for every other communications technology it touches—make it better, more efficient, 
more interactive, more competitive, and more exciting than ever before. The world is 
going digital, and I have no doubt that over-the-air television had to go digital as well.
It’s a win-win for consumers and for the long-term health of the broadcast industry.
We should not minimize the scope and scale of what we just went through.
Twenty years ago, there was no such thing as digital television. Ten years ago, only a 
handful of stations were on the air with a digital signal and only a handful of early 
adopters had purchased digital sets—and most had to take out second mortgages in order 
to do it. Five years ago, no one knew when the DTV transition would end. And yet 
yesterday broadcasters, cable and satellite providers, consumer electronics manufacturers 
and retailers—and, most importantly, consumers—were by-and-large ready to turn off 
full-power analog signals for good.
I say “by and large” because, as we all know, a transition of this size inevitably 
entails a measure of disruption. We did our best to anticipate it and to minimize it in the 
time we had. In the less-than-five months we had since a new team took over, we cut the 
number of unprepared households in half. We put systems in place like in-home 
assistance and our National Call Center to help those who were still caught unprepared 
yesterday when analog transmissions stopped. Job One in the coming days and weeks is 
to help restore service to those consumers who may still be experiencing difficulties.  
But in a broader sense, the transition is not over, even for those of us who 
dutifully connected our converter boxes by yesterday’s deadline. Because despite the 
understandable focus on June 12, the DTV transition is not a one-day affair. There will 
be a period of adjustment as we all figure out how to make this new technology work in 
the real world. Some consumers still need to get converter boxes. Others will have to 
move or adjust their antennas or perhaps even buy more powerful ones in order to receive 
the channels they should be receiving. All of us using converter boxes must remember to 
re-scan our boxes.
At the same time, there may be changes from the transmission side of the 
equation that will make consumers’ lives easier. Some stations are still ramping up to 
full power and making other necessary adjustments in the days ahead. Also, in certain 
cases the FCC can assist stations pursuing technical solutions for offering better 
coverage.
The point is we all need a bit of patience and perseverance in the days ahead.
This is a momentous change and it will take time to get it right. Be assured that here at 
the FCC, we are working around the clock to make that happen.
Speaking of working around the clock, let me turn the podium over to my 
colleagues Jonathan Adelstein and Rob McDowell. I can’t thank them and our incredible 
FCC staff enough for their tireless efforts on behalf of the American people. 
Commissioner McDowell will give you an update on the Call Center activity yesterday, 
and Commissioner Adelstein will give you an update on what’s happening in the field. 
Thank you very much.