• December 2, 2004

The Commerce Department has been charged with developing a plan for promoting digital television, according to a White House directive issued Tuesday.

Issued as a memo to the Commerce Department, the document titled "Improving Spectrum Management for the 21st Century," President Bush outlined the completion of his Spectrum Policy Initiative, which calls for the transition of analog channels to digital by Dec. 31, 2006.

While the Federal Communications Commission--which is also charged with assisting in readying the transition to digital TV--has cautioned about the speed with which the transition can occur, the White House said it issued the memo to prod industry and federal agencies.