Budget Bill with DTV Headed for House Passage
The House is likely to pass the budget reconciliation bill, with DTV provisions, when it takes the measure up Feb. 1, according to industry and Hill sources. “I think it’s good to go,” said a House aide on the Commerce Committee, who’s hoping the House will act on a voice vote. But a voice vote might be difficult since the conference report passed the House on a 212-206 vote (CD Dec 20 p1) and cleared the Senate 51-50 (CD Dec 22 p1). House Minority Leader Pelosi (D-Cal.) demanded a voice vote before the session ended last year when most lawmakers had left the city for the holidays. Pelosi said in a speech Thurs. that she would ask for a recorded vote on the budget bill.
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The bill would set a hard transition date of Feb. 17, 2009 and allocate funding of up to $1.5 billion for up to 2 $40 vouchers per household for the purchase of DTV converter boxes. The House vote is needed to approve technical changes that made to the conference report in the final days of the first session, and would be the last step before presidential signature. The Senate might consider a 2nd DTV bill with provisions on multicasting, downconversion and consumer education efforts.
“Our coalition doesn’t have a position on a second DTV bill,” said Janice Obuchowski, exec dir.-High Tech DTV Coalition. She’s confident that the House will pass the budget bill, and Congress won’t revisit the issue and pass another bill postponing the Feb. 17 date. “I think once the political reality sets in, broadcasters will see that they'll be big winners in this,” she said. Delay wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interests, she added.
The DTV transition would clear 108 MHz of spectrum, including 24 MHz for public safety. The remaining 84 MHz -- 60 MHz of which has yet to be auctioned -- is set aside for advanced wireless services. Under the legislation, this auction would be set no later than Jan. 28, 2008. Revenue from the spectrum is estimated to yield about $12.5 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office, although private estimates put the number as high as $28 billion. The funds are to be set aside for the converter box program and consumer education effort, both to be run by the NTIA.