Inouye Urges Agencies to Redouble DTV Transition Efforts

With February 17, 2009 less than five months away, the Senate Commerce Committee held an oversight hearing to assess the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications Information Administration's efforts to promote broadcaster and consumer preparedness, as well as the recent test pilot in Wilmington, North Carolina. Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) expressed concern about a possible flood of coupon requests and calls that we can expect just before and after the transition. He also said a failed transition should not be something a President Obama or president mccain has to deal with in just the 29th day of their term. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the commission had learned some things from its early analog shutoff in Wilmington which would help it going forward, including taking steps to fix issues with changing TV-station coverage areas and putting more emphasis on helping viewers to set up the boxes, scan for the new channels and understand what antenna issues they may have. But he agreed with Inouye that Congress had not provided sufficient funding for transition education, saying that the FCC needed at least $20 million more. Inouye said he would try to make sure the FCC gets the extra money. NTIA acting head Meredith Attwell Baker outlined progress in sending out DTV-to-analog converter-box coupons and its request for more money to administer the program given the expected "surge" in coupon requests as the deadline approaches. The Government Accountability Office also reprised its findings from last week's House hearing that the government may not have done enough to prevent some folks from losing their TV picture Feb. 17, 2009, when the national DTV switch occurs, or to plan for the coupon surge.