Senate Commerce Panel Expects New Faces, Shakeup

Change is coming to the Senate Commerce Committee in the new Congress with Commerce Chairman Daniel Inouye expected to take over for Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., as head of the Senate Appropriations Committee. His departure, paired with Election Day losses for Republican Sens. Gordon Smith of Oregon and John Sununu of New Hampshire, opens at least two spots on the committee. There is also the question of what happens to the seat of Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. He may lose his bid for an eighth term, but if he wins he could be expelled from the Senate because of his Oct. 27 conviction on corruption charges. Stevens served as ranking member -- and before that as chairman -- but relinquished his leadership post to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, before his trial began.
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Groups: DTV Shift May Leave Behind Millions Of Viewers

With the nation's shift to digital television signals just 100 days away, officials representing the interests of the disabled, elderly and minorities warned today that those populations are among the most vulnerable to losing reception when the Feb. 17 transition occurs. "On Feb. 18, there will be millions of Americans who will wake up and will not have [television] service available," said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, at a news briefing intended to reinforce the message of a transition on track.
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