[FPARC] Lawmakers Establish 2009 Deadline for Analog TV Phaseout

[wa4aw at juno.com]

Lawmakers Establish 2009 Deadline for Analog TV Phaseout

By Arshad Mohammed
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 20, 2005; D05



They've finally set a date -- Feb. 17, 2009.

That's the last day the over-the-air analog signals that have brought
television programs into Americans' homes for decades will be broadcast,
leaving only digital signals, under an agreement reached by House and
Senate negotiators over the weekend.

That means that millions of people will either have to buy new digital TV
sets or get their hands on a set-top converter box that allows the
digital channels to be viewed over an old analog television. In addition,
the negotiators agreed to spend up to $1.5 billion in federal funds to
subsidize the set-top boxes for consumers.

Under the legislation, which was passed by the House yesterday and is
expected to be approved by the Senate this week, consumers will be able
to get up to two $40 coupons per household to help defray the cost of the
set-top boxes.

The bill chiefly affects people who watch TV on sets that pick up analog
signals through their antennas. Cable companies are expected to win
permission from Congress to convert digital signals so they can be viewed
over an analog set. Satellite TV customers already receive digital
signals.

The legislation will allow the government to take back the radio spectrum
used for analog TV broadcasts. The government then plans to auction some
of the spectrum to bring in an estimated $10 billion over five years --
$7.4 billion of which would go toward reducing the budget deficit.

It also sets aside spectrum to help police, firefighters and other first
responders to communicate during emergencies.

The legislation has been debated by lawmakers for months, with the most
contentious issues being the cutoff date -- which could put politicians
in the uncomfortable position of turning off voters' TV sets -- and the
amount of the set-top box subsidy.

Some legislators argued that federal funds should not subsidize private
television viewing. But majorities in both houses of Congress concluded
that some money should be set aside to help.

© 2005 The Washington Post Company