The DTV Transition and the Tech-Savy Volunteer

Google Tech Talks January 13, 2009 ABSTRACT Broadcast television's analog to digital DTV transition is a technology event touching every American household. On February 17, full power TV stations around the nation will cease over the air transmission of analog television and transmit only digital. Analog TV sets in low-income, non-English speaker, disabled and other households receiving TV over the air will no longer function unless steps are taken to maintain reception after the transition, for example by using a digital converter device. Technical and logistical challenges associated with the DTV transition are expected to impact these households hardest. James Miller, Attorney Advisor at the FCC, will discuss these issues and how this unprecedented technical change offers tech-savvy volunteers an opportunity to share expertise and make a difference to people in need, while learning more about the wireless engineering aspects of broadcast TV. Speaker: James Miller Biography James Miller is an Attorney Advisor of the Policy and Rules Division of the Office of Engineering and Technology at the Federal Communications Commission, Adjunct Professor of Law at the American University, Washington College of Law, and past 2004-2006 Mansfield Fellow. Mr. Miller's work at the FCC focuses on with the regulation of spectrum, Internet policy, and emerging technologies. He has rulemaking experience in spectrum matters related to non-geostationary orbit fixed satellite service, terrestrial fixed and mobile services, software-defined and cognitive radio, and part 15 device certification, and intentional and unintentional radiators. He was a member of the FCC's Spectrum Policy Task Force, and has a strong legal background in copyright law and continues research in the area. Prior to entering the practice of law, he worked in Japan and the U.S. in the public sector and private technology sector performing a variety of business development and software engineering functions. He has technical experience in network programming, localization and internationalization, embedded systems, and UNIX administration. As a Mansfield Fellow, Mr. Miller explored Japanese regulatory policies for the information society, particularly focusing on legal and regulatory reforms and spectrum policy, in the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Radio Policy Bureau (MIC), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Office of Senior-Vice Minister Yoshitaka SAKURADA, and the Tokyo District and High Court's Administrative Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections. He is a cum laude graduate of the Washington College of Law, American University, and holds a bachelors degree in Economics and East-Asian studies from the University of Kansas. He is a Japanese-English bilingual and resides in Alexandria, VA with his wife, and two children.