[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3242 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3242

 To suspend temporarily the duty on digital-to-analog converter boxes, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                July 10 (legislative day, July 9), 2008

  Mrs. Lincoln (for herself and Mr. Roberts) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To suspend temporarily the duty on digital-to-analog converter boxes, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Digital Television Transition 
Consumer Relief Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. TEMPORARY DUTY SUSPENSION AND RELIQUIDATION OF CERTAIN DIGITAL-
              TO-ANALOG CONVERTER BOXES AND TELEVISION TUNERS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act 
        of 2005 (Public Law 109-171) provided that all full power 
        television broadcasts be switched to digital format on February 
        17, 2009.
            (2) Nearly 20,000,000 United States consumers do not 
        subscribe to cable or satellite television service and millions 
        more have untethered television sets that only receive over-
        the-air signals.
            (3) Upon the conversion to the digital format mandated by 
        Congress, these households will no longer receive any 
        television signal unless they are equipped with digital-to-
        analog converters.
            (4) Low and middle income families, rural residents, 
        American Indians, senior citizens, the infirmed and the 
        physically and mentally impaired are less likely to own 
        television sets capable of receiving a digital signal without 
        the purchase of digital-to-analog converters.
            (5) The conversion to an all digital format should not 
        place an unfair economic burden on those families of the United 
        States least able to afford it.
            (6) The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency is 
        collecting an import tax, or duty, on converter boxes, which 
        adds to the costs of converting to receiving a digital signal.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the costs 
to convert to an all digital format should be affordable for all people 
of the United States, and especially those of lower incomes.
    (c) Definition of Digital-to-Analog Converter Box.--The U.S. Notes 
at the beginning of subchapter II of chapter 99 of the Harmonized 
Tariff Schedule of the United States is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
    ``20. For purposes of headings 9902.85.28 and 9902.85.29, the term 
`digital-to-analog converter box' means a stand-alone device that does 
not contain features or functions except those necessary to enable a 
consumer to convert any channel broadcast in the digital television 
service into a format that the consumer can display on television 
receivers designed to receive and display signals only in the analog 
television service, but may also include a remote control device.''.
    (d) Temporary Duty Suspensions.--
            (1) Digital-to-analog converter boxes.--Subchapter II of 
        chapter 99 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United 
        States is amended by inserting in numerical sequence the 
        following new heading:


``     9902.85.28      Digital-to-analog   Free         No change        No change        On or before 12/  ''.
                        converter boxes                                                    31/2009.......
                        (provided for in
                        subheading
                        8528.71.40)......

            (2) Certain television tuners.--Such subchapter is further 
        amended by inserting in numerical sequence the following new 
        heading:


``     9902.85.29      Television tuners   Free         No change        No change        On or before 12/  ''.
                        used in the                                                        31/2009.......
                        United States
                        assembly of
                        digital-to-analog
                        converter boxes
                        (provided for in
                        subheading
                        8529.90.29)......

    (e) Retroactive Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection 
(d) apply to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for 
consumption, on or after December 1, 2007.
    (f) Reliquidation of Entries.--
            (1) In general.--Notwithstanding section 514 of the Tariff 
        Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1514) or any other provision of law and 
        subject to the provisions of paragraph (2), the U.S. Customs 
        and Border Protection shall, not later than 90 days after the 
        receipt of a request described in paragraph (2), liquidate or 
        reliquidate as applicable any entry described in paragraph (4) 
        at the applicable rate under subchapter II of chapter 99 of the 
        Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, as amended by 
        subsection (d).
            (2) Requests.--Liquidation or reliquidation may be made 
        under paragraph (1) with respect to an entry described in 
        paragraph (4) only if--
                    (A) a request therefore is filed with U.S. Customs 
                and Border Protection not later than 90 days after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act; and
                    (B) the request contains sufficient information to 
                enable U.S. Customs and Border Protection to locate the 
                entry or reconciliation entry if it cannot be located.
            (3) Payment of amounts owed.--Any amounts owed by the 
        United States pursuant to the liquidation or reliquidation of 
        any entry under paragraph (1) shall be paid, with interest, not 
        later than 180 days after the date of such liquidation or 
        reliquidation.
            (4) Entries described.--The entries referred to in 
        paragraph (1) are the entries, or withdrawals from warehouse 
        for consumption, of goods to which duty-free treatment is 
        provided by subsections (d) and (e)--
                    (A) that was made on or after December 1, 2007; and
                    (B) with respect to which there would have been no 
                duty if subsection (d) of this Act had applied to such 
                entry or withdrawal.
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