Stearns, Barton: Give Analog-Only Homes Priority On Converter Box Coupon
Congressmen Write Letter To FCC, NTIA Placing Analog-Onlys Ahead Of Cable, Satellite Homes
John Eggerton -- Multichannel News, 2/18/2009 6:41:27 PM
Joe Barton and Cliff Stearns, the ranking members of the House Energy & Commerce and Communications, Tech and Internet Subcommittee, have asked the FCC and NTIA to push analog-only homes to the front of the line for DTV-to-analog converter box coupons -- ahead of cable and satellite homes.
In a letter, Barton (R-Tex.) and Stearns (R-Fla.) asked NTIA to revise its rules to give priority to coupons from over-the-air households over those with cable and satellite. Moreover, the Congressmen asked the group to give priority to first-time requests from over-the-air homes over those making additional inquiries.
According to the DTV date-change bill, everyone who let their coupons expire can ask for new ones. The money to reissue those coupons comes from the $650 million in DTV funds set aside in the massive economic stimulus package signed into law Tuesday by President Barack Obama.
They also urged the FCC and NTIA to make a list of the stations transitioning before the new June 12 hard date (641 stations have already pulled the plug) available to consumers on its Web sites -- the FCC already has such a list-"and over your telephone lines" so that consumers know how the transition will impact them.
For more, reach B&C's story here.
