Post by jag11 on Jan 26, 2009 21:32:52 GMT -5
The U.S. Senate on Monday night, on a voice vote, unanimously agreed to delay the nation’s digital TV transition from Feb. 17 to June 12. There was no debate before the vote.
The fate of congressional action on the delay now rests with the House, where the delay is expected to easily pass. A final vote there could take place at week’s end if not earlier.
The House Energy & Commerce Committee has a hearing set for Tuesday on its legislation incorporating the same delay and is expected to bring the results promptly to the House floor.
A delay to the digital TV transition would be a setback, though a temporary one, to a trek that started when legislators put the nation on the road toward the next generation of TV in December 2005.
Digital TV was portrayed as a win for all. Consumers would get a DVD-like picture, with less static, no ghosts, the possibility of movie theater-like viewing, extra channels and new types of services. Meanwhile, because digital TV signal used less bandwidth than the old analog signals, the switch would provide billions of dollars’ worth of spectrum that could be returned to government control. Some could be used for better emergency communication but most could be sold, which the government promptly did for $19 billion.
That promise still exists, but today’s vote reflects Democrats’ concerns that there have been stumbles along the way and that if the transition date isn’t pushed back, millions of consumers could lose TV at midnight Feb. 17.
Democrats, including aides to President Barack Obama, have expressed concern that viewers still don’t know which sets do and do not need converter boxes and don’t know how to hook up and program their converter boxes. They also fear there are insufficient help centers available for people having trouble setting up their sets.
There also has been concern that viewers may not know be aware of signal patterns that could make some stations more difficult to see.
Finally, there has been concern from both Democrats and Republicans that not enough money was set aside to help defray the cost of converter boxes needed for TV sets not connected to cable or satellite. The government was issuing up to two $40 coupons per household, but that money has been used up, so it can only issue new coupons when existing coupons expire.
Nearly 2.6 million households are on the waiting list, and those coupons won’t be in consumers’ hands by Feb. 17.
Nielsen reported last week that 5.7% of the nation’s households are totally unready for the conversion, including 9.9% of African American and 9.7% of Hispanic households. In some markets the share of unprepared minority households is higher.
President Obama’s stimulus plan and the House version of that proposal includes more money for converter-box coupons.
The Senate legislation approved Monday night doesn’t specifically include more money but anticipates it, altering the coupon program by allowing households with expired coupons to reapply for new ones.
TV stations would have the option to apply to the Federal Communications Commission for permission to make the switch early. Running both analog and digital service for another four months could prove costly to stations.
The fate of congressional action on the delay now rests with the House, where the delay is expected to easily pass. A final vote there could take place at week’s end if not earlier.
The House Energy & Commerce Committee has a hearing set for Tuesday on its legislation incorporating the same delay and is expected to bring the results promptly to the House floor.
A delay to the digital TV transition would be a setback, though a temporary one, to a trek that started when legislators put the nation on the road toward the next generation of TV in December 2005.
Digital TV was portrayed as a win for all. Consumers would get a DVD-like picture, with less static, no ghosts, the possibility of movie theater-like viewing, extra channels and new types of services. Meanwhile, because digital TV signal used less bandwidth than the old analog signals, the switch would provide billions of dollars’ worth of spectrum that could be returned to government control. Some could be used for better emergency communication but most could be sold, which the government promptly did for $19 billion.
That promise still exists, but today’s vote reflects Democrats’ concerns that there have been stumbles along the way and that if the transition date isn’t pushed back, millions of consumers could lose TV at midnight Feb. 17.
Democrats, including aides to President Barack Obama, have expressed concern that viewers still don’t know which sets do and do not need converter boxes and don’t know how to hook up and program their converter boxes. They also fear there are insufficient help centers available for people having trouble setting up their sets.
There also has been concern that viewers may not know be aware of signal patterns that could make some stations more difficult to see.
Finally, there has been concern from both Democrats and Republicans that not enough money was set aside to help defray the cost of converter boxes needed for TV sets not connected to cable or satellite. The government was issuing up to two $40 coupons per household, but that money has been used up, so it can only issue new coupons when existing coupons expire.
Nearly 2.6 million households are on the waiting list, and those coupons won’t be in consumers’ hands by Feb. 17.
Nielsen reported last week that 5.7% of the nation’s households are totally unready for the conversion, including 9.9% of African American and 9.7% of Hispanic households. In some markets the share of unprepared minority households is higher.
President Obama’s stimulus plan and the House version of that proposal includes more money for converter-box coupons.
The Senate legislation approved Monday night doesn’t specifically include more money but anticipates it, altering the coupon program by allowing households with expired coupons to reapply for new ones.
TV stations would have the option to apply to the Federal Communications Commission for permission to make the switch early. Running both analog and digital service for another four months could prove costly to stations.