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Michael Powell

Jan 20, 2003  •  Post A Comment

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell’s major accomplishment during 2002 was to give the long-faltering transition to digital television a jolt by threatening regulatory action if affected industry sectors didn’t volunteer to move on their own. When the consumer electronics industry balked, Mr. Powell and his FCC colleagues voted to require manufacturers to begin including DTV broadcast tuners in many sets. “That single-handedly jump-started the transition,” said Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters.