and the technology is spawning myriad data services and datacasting in the same TV-broadcast spectrum. However, no laws or regulations define how digital- TV licensees might use the new spectrum. Moreover, many people belittle the flexible standard, which the Grand Alliance developed and the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) recommended to the FCC, as a technology niche that affects TV manufacturers but not the computer industry. The ATSC, a private-sector organization that develops voluntary standards for the Video Communications: The Whole Picture entire spectrum of advanced-television systems, adopted two additional standards in 1996: a "program guide for digital television," and "system information for digital television." These specifications are part of the overall HDTV system on which the United States has standardized. They are important for fostering interoperability between different set-top boxes or TV systems for cable, satellite, multichannel/ multipoint distribution service (MMDS), and satellite master-antenna television systems. The system information defines the transmission parameters that a variety of digital decoders need for accessing and processing digital and analog transmissions. The program guide provides a common format that TV receivers and set-top boxes can decode. To accelerate the conversion to digital television the FCC ruled, in August 2002, that manufacturers must, by July 2004, include digital tuners in TV sets that have screens that are 36" or larger. The same requirements would be phased in by 2007 for all other sets. PBS unveiled the first US HDTV network early in 2004; shortly thereafter, HD-Prime became the nation's first all-HDTV cable service, and VOOM became the first all- HDTV/Digital satellite-to-home service. CBS, ABC and NBC broadcast most of their live programming in full 1080i HDTV in the 2004-2005 broadcast season, including the 2004 Olympics in Greece. While these broadcasts began in HDTV, not all local stations and cable systems were capable of relaying