Mr. Mel Karmazin
President & Chief Operating Officer
Viacom
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036

Mr. Leslie Moonves
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
CBS Television
7800 Beverly Boulevard, Suite 343
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Dear Sirs:

As you know, I have been actively involved in helping to jump-start the transition to digital television. In fact, over the last two years, my colleagues and I have hosted several roundtables with representatives from the various industries involved in the transition, including those from the broadcasting, cable, consumer electronic and IT sectors. I have appreciated Viacom's participation in those sessions.

Content is the critical element in getting consumers to purchase DTV equipment, and I fully appreciate the concerns of content producers in wanting to protect their valuable product. I also understand that if content transmitted over the air via broadcast television stations is not protected, content producers will be unwilling to supply broadcasters with their most valuable and highest quality programming. In short, broadcasters will become second-class citizens in the content chain and the American public, which now enjoys the finest free broadcast television system in the world, will suffer. Indeed, American viewers will have to pay for programs they now enjoy for free. That is why I have encouraged the FCC to move forward with implementing the broadcast flag.

CBS has been a leader in the production and airing of HD content, so I know you understand first-hand the importance of protecting content transmitted over the air by broadcast television stations. The comments filed by Viacom in the FCC's broadcast flag proceeding (MB Docket No. 02-230) made that abundantly clear: Your company stated that if the FCC had not implemented a broadcast flag by this summer, it would not provide any programming in high definition for the 2003-2004 television season.

While I understand your concerns-and I share them-I ask that for the good of the digital transition, CBS reconsider its deadline. I am hopeful that the FCC will work to complete the broadcast flag proceeding by this fall, and certainly no later than the end of this calendar year. I will do everything I can to assist the FCC in that regard.

Sincerely,

W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, Chairman Committee on Energy and Commerce

Fred Upton, Chairman Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet

cc: The Honorable Michael K. Powell