FCC Launches Web Site About Hawaii's Early DTV Transition

The FCC has launched a Web site site with information about Hawaii's early swith to digital TV.

Stations there are switching early for environmental reasons, prompted by conversations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which advised them to "deconstruct" their analog facilities early to avoid the Hawaiian petrel (a bird) breeding season on the island of Maui.

“This Web site is designed to give Hawaiians easy access to the knowledge they need for the first statewide shift to digital broadcasting in the nation,” said FCC Chairman Kevin Martin in announcing the new site. “We’ve included information for consumers about events in their area, how to contact local FCC staff members for help, and answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the transition.”

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.