December 19, 2005
House Passes DTV Measure
The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the digital TV rules today (December 19, 2005), setting the stage for a struggle over a final, reconciled budget bill in Congress possibly before the weekend.
The House passed its version of the budget reconciliation bill that contained the DTV provisions, among a host of other things, early this morning. The proposed rules would establish Feb 17, 2009, as the "hard deadline" that would end analog broadcasting and free up spectrum for commercial and public safety use. It also could generate some $10 billion in auction revenues, according to a statement out of the office of House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-Tex. Barton was hospitalized last week after suffering a heart attack and released from the hospital on Sunday.
The bill also seeks to authorize the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to create digital-to-analog converter boxes to aid "over-the-air" viewers to continue to get broadcast programming. The bill allocates up to $990 million for the NTIA program, of which NTIA would be entitled to spend $100 million on administrative costs. The bulk would be used to send up to two $40 coupons for set-top converter boxes to consumers.
The House passed its version of the budget reconciliation bill that contained the DTV provisions, among a host of other things, early this morning. The proposed rules would establish Feb 17, 2009, as the "hard deadline" that would end analog broadcasting and free up spectrum for commercial and public safety use. It also could generate some $10 billion in auction revenues, according to a statement out of the office of House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-Tex. Barton was hospitalized last week after suffering a heart attack and released from the hospital on Sunday.
The bill also seeks to authorize the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to create digital-to-analog converter boxes to aid "over-the-air" viewers to continue to get broadcast programming. The bill allocates up to $990 million for the NTIA program, of which NTIA would be entitled to spend $100 million on administrative costs. The bulk would be used to send up to two $40 coupons for set-top converter boxes to consumers.
The budget reconciliation bill now goes to the Senate where, Congressional staffers say, it could face significant resistance from Democrats. Staffers said it might be Thursday or Friday before the bill is passed, or, more ominously, beyond those dates.
From Wireless Week
