Markey: More DTV Money Needed
House Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey, D-Mass., on Friday said that at minimum Congress may need to pass additional funding in early January for the digital television transition converter box program to prevent any delay in availability or issuance of coupons to consumers. He voiced his concern upon the release of responses from the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration about the status of their preparations for the Feb. 17, 2009 switch-over.
The expected surge in consumer demand for converter box coupons is occurring and NTIA projects it will have to postpone or possibly deny the issuance of coupons to consumers without additional funding, Markey said in a statement. Moreover, lingering confusion over aspects of the transition and an apparent lack of converter box availability and call center capability pose additional threats to transition's success, he said. Markey noted "the challenges posed by the DTV switch cannot be underestimated."
Read the FCC and NTIA letters and Q&A here. Read more from CongressDaily here.
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