CEA President Gary Shapiro Comments on FCC Dismissal of Sinclair's DTV Standard Petition

The following statement was issued by Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) President and CEO Gary Shapiro in response to today's unanimous decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to dismiss Sinclair Broadcasting's petition to modify the existing digital television (DTV) broadcast standard:

"As the first organization to call officially upon the FCC to dismiss Sinclair's proposal, we commend the commissioners for todayís unanimous decision. With this ruling, DTV's future is clear and paved for success. The FCC has wisely provided broadcasters, manufacturers and consumers with the certainty they need to move forward with the transition to digital television."

Today's ruling will allow television manufacturers, broadcasters and all others involved in the DTV transition to return our full attention to what matters most -- providing consumers with the full benefits of digital television."

I hope this ruling will close the door on this issue. As demonstrated by more than ten years of laboratory and field tests, 8-VSB is clearly the best system for broadcasting digital television in the United States. And retailers report that consumers who are viewing over-the-air digital television love what they're seeing.

We look forward to continuing our work with the FCC and the broadcast industry to navigate the road to DTV and we remain committed to ensuring that all consumers have access to over-the-air DTV. As with any new technology, receiver performance will only improve in future generations of product. The future of DTV is indeed bright."