Barton Says Democrats Likely to Tinker with DTV Coupon Program
LAS VEGAS -- Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, predicted House Democrats will reopen the DTV coupon program with an eye on consumers who obtain coupons but don’t use them in time. Otherwise, Barton as well Reps. Tom Davis, R-Va., and Daryl Issa, R-Calif., said during a CES congressional panel here they hold little hope for legislation of any kind, including bills that would be of interest to the high-tech sector during the last year of the current Congress.
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Barton, ranking Commerce Committee member, said so far the coupon program seems a success, with Americans already requesting some 2 million coupons. The problem is that coupons expire. “Once you get it into your grubby little hands you've got 90 days to use it, “ he said. “Lots of people are going to get those coupons, they're going to put them on the dresser. In my case I'll tell my wife -- Neither one of us will go get it and the damned coupon will expire.”
Barton said Democrats in the House will likely attempt to address that issue. “You only get one coupon and if it expires it’s your fault. I know that’s something Democrats will want to take a look at -- and there will be debate on whether to give people a second chance.”
But Barton doesn’t expect major problems to emerge. “I'm an optimist,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a big event. Based on the requests for coupons so far this month it appears we can safely say the market is a lot smarter than some of my friends on the Democratic side give it credit for and we shouldn’t have any problems.”
“Yes there will be problems,” Issa said. “But we have to address the better good -- and the benefits of that spectrum being available far exceeds those things that may not be perfect.”
“There’s not much got done last year and I don’t see much getting done next year,” Barton said. “We're in the minority so any substantive questions you ask me I'm going to say here’s what I think.” Barton said the absence of Democratic lawmakers on the panel reflects new ethics rules that makes attendance at industry gatherings difficult.
Davis said House Democrats are discovering the same thing Republicans did when they took over Congress after the 1994 elections. “Democrats have moved a lot of bills through,” he said. “They discovered what we did, that there’s a Senate” and filibusters are hard to break.
The lawmakers said CES attendees should pay close attention to fair trade issues during the remainder of the Congress and the upcoming presidential election. “Take away the global market and CES wouldn’t even be a show,” Issa said.