House Passes Compromise DTV Bill

News broke yesterday about House approval of the Budget Bill and the DTV transition provisions in it. Here's more detail on what came out of the House-Senate Conference. End of analog TV: Feb. 17, 2009. Funds to subsidize digital-to-analog converter boxes: $1.5 billion. $1 billion from analog TV spectrum auctions to be allocated to first responders. There is $5 million that can be set aside for a consumer awareness campaign, and New York City broadcasters gets $30 million to help the Metropolitan Television Alliance, an organization of New York City broadcast stations, for additional digital broadcast equipment needed to provide an adequate digital signal from the Empire State building until the Freedom Tower is completed. $7.363 billion will go to the Treasury, with the remainder divided as follows: 1) $75 million for a program to transition Low Power TV stations and TV translators to digital, 2) $156 million to fund programs in the WARN Act, which establishes national alert and tsunami warning systems, 3) $43.5 million in funding to improve E-911 communications under the Enhance 911 legislation sponsored by Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) passed last year, and 4) $30 million available for the Essential Air Service program. Many provisions from the House version of the legislation were dropped including A) provisions allowing cable to convert an HDTV signal to standard DTV, or DTV to analog, for its customers, and B) requirements that broadcasters air a public service campaign to educate consumers about the impending transition
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6292482.html?display=Breaking...
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* Negotiators Split Differences On DTV
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-VOFN1135002646510.html
* House-Senate Conference Committee Approves Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act Title in Budget Reconciliation Bill
http://commerce.senate.gov/newsroom/printable.cfm?id=249937
* Lawmakers Establish 2009 Deadline for Analog TV Phaseout
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/19/AR200512...
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* Deadline in 2009 Is Set For Digital-TV Switch
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113503405017826774.html?mod=todays_us_pe...
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* Transition to Digital Gets Closer
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/20/technology/20digital.html
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* Digital TV deadline could be 2/17/09
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20051220/1b_dtv20.art.htm