Congress working on DTV measures to ease Digital Transition
The SAFER Act (Short-Term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act), recently approved by the Senate, allows for up to a 30 day grace period after the February 17, 2009 deadline for the Analog Cut-off to give consumers a little more time to prepare for the DTV conversion. While the Bush administration and the FCC fully support this much needed bill, the House of Representatives will not be able to vote on it until December 8, 2008. House Representative, Lois Capps, will be introducing a similar bill to the House to vote on when the House of Representatives reconvenes.
Senator Jay Rockefeller, soon to be the Senate Commerce Committee Chairman in January 2009, gave an amazing and detailed speech to plead for more time on behalf of American’s citizens. He reiterated the need for further and more aggressive education to America’s citizens. Senator Rockefeller as well as many others are concerned about the citizens who are housebound, disabled or elderly and those who might have a language barrier. Hopefully, these extra thirty days will give consumers and the agencies involved more time to prepare.
Meredith Attwell Baker, the head of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration gave a speech Thursday at the Media Institute. She gave her support for this bill and recommended a nationwide soft analog cut-off test at least a month before the February DTV transition deadline. Many areas have been running localized testing by shutting off analog signals to check on the readiness of their viewers for this transition. But, the NTIA feels that a nationwide test could be beneficial to see where we stand as a nation before the actual cut-off date.
Full details of the bill:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act’.
SEC. 2. COMMISSION ACTION REQUIRED.
(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Federal Communications Commission shall, not later than January 15, 2009, develop and implement a program to encourage and permit, to the extent technically feasible, the continued broadcasting in the analog television service of the public safety information and digital transition information specified in subsection (b) during the 30-day period beginning February 18, 2009, subject to such limitations as the Commission finds to be consistent with the public interest and the requirements of this Act.
(b) INFORMATION REQUIRED- The program required by subsection (a) shall provide for the broadcast of–
(1) emergency information, including critical details regarding the emergency, as carried or required to be carried by full-power stations in the digital television service;
(2) information, in both English and Spanish, and accessible to persons with disabilities, concerning–
(A) the digital television transition, including the fact that a transition has taken place and that additional action is required to continue receiving television service, including emergency notifications; and
(B) the steps required to enable viewers to receive such emergency information via the digital television service and to convert to receiving digital television service, including a phone number and Internet address by which help with such transition may be obtained in both English and Spanish; and
(3) such other information as the Commission may find to be consistent with the public interest.
-Written by acwriter
Ref: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
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[...] Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act (SAFER Act) approved by the Senate last month was also approved by the House of Representatives last night. The bill will now make [...]