Democrats criticize digital TV plan
November 17th, 2006House Democrats voiced reservations about the Bush administration’s converter box subsidy proposal yesterday. They have now even suggested that problems with the federal coupon program, if not remedied, could delay 2009’s “hard deadline” for the cutoff of analog TV broadcasts.
John Dingell (D-Mich.), incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce committee, and other committee Democrats raised concerns in a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration:
“We continue to believe this plan is highly flawed and disadvantages the poor, the elderly, minority groups, and those with multiple analog television sets in their home….”
The NTIA is the Commerce Department agency overseeing the converter box coupon program.
If Congress truly wants changes to the much-criticized, $1.5 billion subsidy program, it must be prepared to increase its funding.
• Link: TV Week