WASHINGTON-The Telecommunications Industry Association is supporting a Dec. 31, 2006, date for the transition to digital TV.
“Converting to DTV will clear valuable spectrum for other important uses, such as advanced wireless services with both commercial and public-safety applications,” said TIA. TIA told Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), chairman of the House telecom subcommittee, its policy statement Thursday.
Upton’s subcommittee held a key hearing Feb. 17 on the DTV transition. During the hearing, Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), ranking member of the House telecommunications subcommittee, questioned the timing of setting a hard date because he believes there are too many unknowns left to be examined about the DTV transition.
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), chairman of the House Commerce Committee, plans to introduce legislation to set a hard date for the DTV transition.
In 1997, Congress said that on Jan. 1, 2007, broadcasters would have to return the extra 6 megahertz of spectrum given to TV broadcasters to facilitate the digital transition. But there was a caveat. TV broadcasters could keep the spectrum if more than 15 percent of the homes in their viewing areas could not receive digital signals. Removing the caveat has become known as establishing a hard date and has been widely encouraged by the wireless industry.
TIA’s DTV policy statement also favors a subsidy program for low-income viewers of over-the-air TV broadcasting.
