August 10, 1998

The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As you know, the Advisory Committee on Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters was established by Executive Order No. 13038 and asked to develop recommendations on which public interest obligations should accompany broadcasters receipt of digital television licenses. Under the Executive Order as amended, the Committee must report to the Vice President on or before October 1, 1998. A copy of the Executive Order and amendments are attached.

The Advisory Committee has worked very hard over the last nine months to understand and discuss all the issues regarding public interest obligations and digital television. It held public hearings in October, December, and January to gather information and testimony from communications, technical, educational, and legal experts and from the public. The Committee also held three public meetings in March, April, and June to deliberate on the very complex issues before it.

The Committee has been moving expeditiously, but scheduling conflicts over the summer combined with the logistical difficulties inherent in publication of a report make it impossible to meet our current October 1 deadline. Therefore, we respectfully request an extension of the reporting deadline for the Advisory Committee. An extension will allow the Committee to explore several pertinent issues that have recently been raised by members of the Committee, and to ensure that its recommendations are flexible enough to yield maximum public benefit from a constantly evolving digital future.

We would appreciate expedited consideration of this request.

Very truly yours,

Leslie Moonves                                         Norman Ornstein

Enclosures

cc:

The Honorable Al Gore
Vice President of the United States

The Honorable Larry Irving
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information