[Tektalkdiscussion] Fw: Senator says delay would give more time to fix coupon program, reduce safety risks

[Bob Acosta]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ardis Bazyn" <abazyn at bazyncommunications.com>
To: <CCB-L at googlegroups.com>; <rsva-l at acb.org>
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2009 11:49 AM
Subject: Senator says delay would give more time to fix coupon program, 
reduce safety risks


> Rockefeller's New DTV Transition Date: June 12
>
> Senator says delay would give more time to fix coupon program, reduce 
> safety
> risks
>
> By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, January 15, 2009
>
> Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) has introduced the bill to delay the DTV
> transition.
>
> The new date would be June 12, three months beyond the current Feb. 17 
> date
> of transitioning full power TV stations from analog to digital.
>
> Rockefeller, who is chairman of the Senate Commerce Committe, which 
> oversees
> the FCC, has been
>
> working on the bill for several days
>
> , with a June deadline in the 3-4 month time frame that had been expected.
>
> "I firmly believe that our nation is not yet ready to make this 
> transition,"
> Rockefeller said in announcing the bill.
>
> Rockefeller said the delay was necessary because it would reduce the 
> public
> safety risks of losing access to emergency information, allow federal
> agencies
>
> to better prepare, allow the DTV coupon program to be fixed, give time for
> more coordination of the transition, and reduce the number of people and
> tower
>
> crews put at risk by working on antennas in the winter.
>
> "The outgoing Bush Administration has mismanaged this initiative and
> President-elect Obama has asked Congress to delay the date of the
> transition," Rockefeller
>
> said. "Over two million Americans are waiting to receive a coupon to help
> them offset the cost of equipment that will help them manage the 
> transition
> -
>
> millions more don't have the proper information they need," Rockefeller
> said.
>
> The House is also working on a bill to delay the date.
>
> Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez says all Congress needs to do is fix 
> the
> coupon program and the Feb. 17 date should hold, a point he made to
> Rockefeller
>
> in a letter. Rockefeller was making the point that the delay was about a 
> lot
> more than the coupon program."We must ensure that consumers can adequately
>
> prepare for the DTV transition. In Minnesota, more than 21 percent of our
> households depend exclusively on over-the-air broadcast TV. Unless we get
> this
>
> right, millions could be without television on February 18 - the day after
> the transition," said Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who
> introduced
>
> the bill along with Rockefeller.
>
> She, along with Rockefeller, was also an
>
> early supporter of last week's call by the Obama transition team to move 
> the
> date.
>
> < Back |
>
> Print
>
> C 2009 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All
> rights reserved.
>
> Advertisement
>
> house/WP_Limelight_336x280
>
> Eric Bridges
>
> Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs
>
> American Council of the Blind
>
> 2200 Wilson Blvd. Suite 650
>
> Arlington, VA 22201
>
> Phone: (202) 467-5081
>
> Fax: (703) 465-5085
>
> Ardis Bazyn
> For inspirational speaking, business coaching, or writing: 
> www.bazyncommunications.com
> New book available- "My Family's Favorites" (Recipes handed down from 
> family and friends including healthy tips, anecdotes, and helpful 
> information)
>