[Azzi_Kahlila]

As mentioned earlier, most people would, in times of a national disaster, be listening to their car radio or battery powered portable (tell me why the I-pod does not have a radio yet?) than glued to their plasma.

You think the bomb/flood/storm shelter would have a home theater room?


I know whatyou are saying Loft, it still seems silly though...

Sorry, "$illy"

[TOD4wDTQ]

Senate Passes Bill to Delay
Transition to Digital Television
By Kim Hart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The Senate last night approved a four-month delay in the nation's transition to all-digital television to give consumers more time to prepare for the switch.

Broadcasters are scheduled to stop airing analog broadcasts Feb. 17. Consumers with an analog television will need a converter box to get broadcasts. People with digital televisions or cable or satellite service will not lose programming.

President Obama earlier this month urged Congress to postpone the transition, citing evidence that many consumers are not ready. The Nielsen Co. said last week that more than 6.5 million U.S. households are not prepared and could see their television sets go dark next month.

But some Republicans say that changing the date would further confuse consumers and create additional costs for broadcasters who have made extensive preparations to switch next month. Wireless companies and public safety agencies also are waiting for airwaves that will be freed by the transition.

It is unclear if the House will immediately pass the Senate's version of the bill, which does not specify how the costs of a delay would be covered. The House could add its own provisions, which would require further Senate action. It could also waive budget rules and seek funds in the stimulus package.

Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W. Va.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, urged the House to pass the bill, which would push the transition back to June 12.

"Delaying the upcoming DTV switch is the right thing to do," Rockefeller said. "I firmly believe that our nation is not yet ready to make this transition at this time. The Senate acted responsibly to give the Obama administration time to attempt to bring order to a mismanaged process."

PBS chief executive Paula Kerger said yesterday that a delay would cost public broadcasters $22 million. She said she hoped lawmakers would provide funds to PBS if they proceed with a delay.

The bill would allow broadcasters to turn off analog signals before the June 12 deadline, and public safety agencies would be allowed to use those airwaves as soon as they are available. The bill would also allow consumers with expired coupons for converter boxes to re-apply for new ones.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is running the coupon program, has hit its $1.34 billion funding limit. More than 3 million consumers are on the waiting list for coupons, which will come available as already issued coupons expire.

© 2009 The Washington Post Company

[fkjghfg]

January 28, 2009, 2:12 pm

House Defeats Bill to Delay Digital TV Switch

By Brian Stelter

Two days after the Senate unanimously approved a four-month delay of the digital television transition, the House of Representatives rejected the same proposal on Wednesday, “leaving the current Feb. 17 deadline intact for now,” the Associated Press reports.

The legislation’s failure means that the nation’s television stations will have to switch from analog to digital broadcasting by Feb. 17, unless Congress takes other steps to delay the transition.

Earlier this month, calling the government funds to support the switch “woefully inadequate,” the Obama administration called on Congress to delay the Feb. 17 date. The switch requires consumers without a digital-ready TV who rely on over-the-air signals to install converter boxes for their TV sets. The Nielsen Co. estimates that more than six million households are still unready for the switch.

Some lawmakers have argued that a delay would only exacerbate the confusion about the transition. And local stations have noted that they have already budgeted funds for next month’s switch. Keeping their analog signals on the air for four more months would require more money for power and maintenance costs.

“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.”

In a statement Tuesday, the Senate Commerce Committee chairman, John D. Rockefeller IV, said he was deeply disappointed by the Republicans’ move to block the transition.

“Instead of delaying the transition to ensure that the most vulnerable among us have the ability to prepare for the transition, they have made certain that far too many consumers across the country will wake up on February the 18th and find that their television sets have gone dark and access to news, information, and vital emergency alerts will be unavailable,” he said. “It did not have to be this way — this situation was unnecessary and avoidable.”


Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company