MUMBAI: Leaders of a wide spectrum of organisations in the US have announced the formation of the Digital Transition Coalition (DTC).

The coalition will engage in a campaign designed to speed up the transition to digital television and ensure the return of critical spectrum back to the American taxpayer for use in new technologies.

The members of the coalition will include Echostar, Americans for Tax Reform and the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste. The organisation issued a release acknowledging the fact that the US Congress had taken an important step towards ensuring a digital future when they mandated that broadcasters provide a digital signal on par with their analogue service by 2002.

Unfortunately while two years have gone after that deadline, over 60 per cent of television stations in America still have to meet that obligation.

The coalition has set itself goals that include:

* Fostering the immediate availability of the network DTV signals to US consumers.

* Immediate redeployment of the analog spectrum dedicated for public safety access.

* The return of the broadcaster's analogue spectrum by 31 December 2006.

A site www.IWantMyHDTV.com has also been launched that provides information on the campaign.