Rich Fiscus
28 Jan 2009 14:39
Today the US House of Representatives voted down a bill that would have postponed the DTV transition scheduled for February 17. The DTV Delay Act, which passed the Senate on Monday, would have allowed broadcasters to continue analog TV broadcasts until the middle of June.
Even though the delay President Obama wants appears to be dead, there may still be action on the way in the form of an alternative bill introduced earlier this week. This alternative legislation would provide an additional $250 million to the program which provides vouchers for DTV converters.
Currently there's a waiting list for vouchers and none can be sent out until either existing vouchers expire without being used or additional funding is approved.
One thing this new legislation doesn't do that they DTV Delay Act would have is authorize the replacement of expired vouchers. But it's still possible similar language could be added with an amendment.