Bucking the Obama administration, House Republicans on Wednesday defeated a bill to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting to June 12 – leaving the current Feb. 17 deadline intact for now.
The 258-168 vote failed to clear the two-thirds threshold needed for passage. It’s a victory for the GOP members, who warn that postponing the transition would confuse consumers.
The House Republicans say a delay also would burden wireless companies and public safety agencies waiting for the spectrum that will be vacated by the switchover, and create added costs for television stations that would have to continue broadcasting both analog and digital signals for four more months.
The defeat is a setback for the administration of President Barack Obama and Democrats on Capitol Hill, who fear too many Americans won’t be ready for next month’s analog shut-off.
The Nielsen Co. estimates more than 6.5 mi llion U.S. households that rely on analog television sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals still are not prepared for the transition. People who subscribe to cable or satellite TV or have a newer TV with a digital tuner will not be affected.
“In my opinion, we could do nothing worse than to delay this transition date,” said Joe Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the House Commerce Committee. “The bill is a solution looking for a problem that exists mostly in the mind of the Obama administration.”
Barton led the push to scuttle the bill, which passed the Senate unanimously on Monday night.
The Obama administration had no immediate comment on the House vote.
The bill was defeated even after President-elect Barack Obama had urged lawmakers to postpone the Feb. 17 transition amid mounting concerns that too many Americans who rely on analog TV sets to pick up broadcast channels won’t be ready. Obama called for a delay largely because the federal program that subsidizes converter boxes for those viewers hit a $1.34 billion funding limit this month.
But some Senate Republicans fear a delay would confuse people and burden public safety agencies waiting for wireless spectrum that will be freed up by the switchover. The opponents also said a delay would be costly for television broadcasters that have spent several years preparing for the analog shutoff.
Some Republicans also say they do not want to push back the transition date until Congress comes up with a plan to fix the coupon program. It was not immediately clear which Republicans blocked the bill on Friday.
The coupon program allows consumers to request up to two $40 vouchers per household to help pay for converter boxes. The boxes, which generally cost between $50 and $70 each and can be purchased without a coupon, translate digital signals back into analog ones for older TVs to handle.
But the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the arm of the Commerce Department administering the program, is now sending out new coupons only as older, unredeemed ones reach a 90-day expiration date and free up more money for the program. The NTIA had more than 2.1 million coupon requests on a waiting list as of Wednesday.
Now many Washington lawmakers and policymakers fear that even if the agency could begin sending out new coupons immediately, many consumers would not receive them in time for the Feb. 17 switchover.
“We risk leaving those who are most reliant on over-the-air broadcast television for their information literally in the dark,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller, D-W.V., author of the Senate bill calling for the delay to June 12.
Gene Kimmelman, vice president for federal policy at Consumers Union, fears that as many as 10 million households that depend on over-the-air television may not be taken care of unless Congress finds another $500 million to $1 billion for the converter box program. He argues that the government has an obligation to approve this money since it has raised roughly $19 billion by auctioning off spectrum due to be freed by the analog TV shutdown.
The digital TV change has already begun in Hawaii, and unprepared residents lit up special help-center phone lines set up by the Federal Communication Commission and broadcasters. Hawaii went to all-digital TV signals on Thursday so that broadcasters and park rangers could take down analog transmission towers on the slopes of Maui’s Haleakala volcano before the nesting season of an endangered bird.
Britt Wilen Joins David&Goliath As Group Creative Director
As David&Goliath (D&G) celebrates 25 years, the agency is bringing on new creative leadership to help shape its future. Britt Wilen joins as group creative director, bringing her knack for big ideas, executional craft and a track record of work that resonates. In her new role, Wilen will partner closely with clients, diving deep into their challenges to develop work thatโs bold, transformative, with high-impact solutions and cultural relevance.
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Wilenโs most recent staff position prior to joining D&G was serving as a global creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi where she led major campaigns for Toyotaโs Olympic and Paralympic sponsorship, Expedia and Lexus. Before that, she held senior creative roles at BBDO Worldwide and Leo Burnett, helping shape iconic work for brands like Doritos, Ikea, Mars, and more.
Her work has been recognized with top industry honors, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show, Clio Awards, and Effies. In addition to her impressive professional career, Wilen boasts a rich and... Read More