[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 299 Introduced in House (IH)]







111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 299

     To provide American consumers information about the broadcast 
   television transition from an analog to a digital format, and to 
provide additional funds for the converter box coupon program under the 
      Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 8, 2009

  Mr. Engel introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To provide American consumers information about the broadcast 
   television transition from an analog to a digital format, and to 
provide additional funds for the converter box coupon program under the 
      Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005.

    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 ``National Digital Television Consumer 
Education Act''.

SEC. 2. LABELING AND CONSUMER EDUCATION.

    Section 330 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 330) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(d) Labeling and Consumer Education.--
            ``(1) Requirements for retail distributors and other 
        vendors.--
                    ``(A) Retail distributors.--Any retail distributor 
                of any television receiving equipment described in 
                section 303(s) that does not include a digital tuner 
                shall--
                            ``(i) effective 30 days after the date of 
                        enactment of the National Digital Television 
                        Consumer Education Act, place adjacent to each 
                        unit of such equipment that such distributor 
                        displays for sale or rent a consumer alert as 
                        provided by the manufacturer pursuant to 
                        paragraph (2), except that such distributor 
                        shall not be required to affix such label to 
                        the television screen on such equipment, as 
                        long as the label is--
                                    ``(I) in the close vicinity of, and 
                                associated with, the unit on display; 
                                and
                                    ``(II) clearly visible to 
                                consumers; and
                            ``(ii) effective 30 days after the 
                        enactment of the National Digital Television 
                        Consumer Education Act, provide information to 
                        consumers, on signs and in pamphlet form, in 
                        the display area for product categories that 
                        include any television receiving equipment 
                        described in section 303(s) that does not 
                        include a digital tuner television, sufficient 
                        to convey the information carried in the 
                        consumer advisory label. Such signs and 
                        pamphlets shall also include information on 
                        recycling old televisions, computer monitors, 
                        computer central processing units, fax 
                        machines, and scanners and other consumer 
                        electronics.
                    ``(B) Other vendors.--Effective 30 days after the 
                date of enactment of the National Digital Television 
                Consumer Education Act, any seller via direct mail, 
                catalog, or electronic means, such as the Internet, of 
                any television receiving equipment described in section 
                303(s) that does not include a digital tuner, shall 
                include in clear and conspicuous print the consumer 
                alert required by paragraph (2) at the point of display 
                for the apparatus, or, if there is no display, at the 
                point of sale. Such information shall also include 
                information on recycling old televisions and other 
                consumer electronics.
            ``(2) Consumer alert.--The consumer alert required by this 
        paragraph shall display in clear and conspicuous print, the 
        following consumer alert:
                    ``Consumer Alert
                    ``This TV has only an analog broadcast tuner and 
                will require a converter box after February 17, 2009, 
                to receive over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna 
                because of the Nation's transition to digital 
                broadcasting. The TV should continue to work as before 
                with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, 
                VCRs, DVD players, and similar products. For more 
                information, call the Federal Communications Commission 
                at 1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322) or visit the 
                Commission's digital television website at: 
                www.dtv.gov.
                    ``Nuncio Consumidor
                    ``Esta TV tiene solo un sintonizador de emision 
                analogo y por lo tanto requerira una caja de conversion 
                despues del 17 de febrero de 2009 para recibir 
                emisiones de TV terrestre con una antena, debido a la 
                transicion nacional a la emision de TV digital. Esta 
                continuara funcionando igualmente con TV por cable, 
                sistema de TV satelite, consolas de juegos, 
                videograbadoras, reproductores de DVD y productos 
                similares. Si requiere mas informacion llame a la 
                Comision Federal de Comunicaciones al 1-888-225-5322 
                (TTY: 1-888-835-5322) o visite el sitio web de la 
                Comision en www.dtv.gov.
            ``(3) Other devices.--For devices other than television 
        sets that are included in section 303(s) and that contain an 
        analog tuner, but not a digital tuner, the Commission shall 
        require the clear and conspicuous placement of a comparable 
        consumer advisory label on such devices, as well as on the 
        outside of the retail packaging of such devices.
            ``(4) Additional disclosures.--
                    ``(A) Announcements and notices required.--From the 
                date of enactment of this Act through March 31, 2009--
                            ``(i) each television broadcaster shall 
                        air, at a minimum, 120 seconds per day of 
                        public service announcements between the hours 
                        of 6 a.m. and 11:35 p.m., at variable time 
                        slots throughout the week, with at least half 
                        aired between the hours of 5 p.m. and 11:35 
                        p.m.; and
                            ``(ii) any multichannel video program 
                        distributor shall include a notice in or with 
                        each periodic bill.
                    ``(B) Content of announcements and notices.--The 
                announcements and notices required by this paragraph 
                shall educate consumers about the deadline for 
                termination of analog television broadcasting and the 
                equipment options consumers have after such 
                termination. Announcements aired and notices 
                distributed after January 1, 2009, shall also educate 
                consumers about the need for and availability of the 
                converter box voucher program and the steps to redeem 
                the voucher.''.

SEC. 3. DIGITAL TELEVISION CONSUMER EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM.

    Part C of the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration Organization Act is amended by inserting after section 
158 (47 U.S.C. 942) the following new section:

``SEC. 159. DIGITAL TELEVISION CONSUMER EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Program Authorized.--The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for 
Communications and Information is authorized to establish a temporary 
grant program for the purpose of coordinating and leading a nationwide 
consumer education and outreach campaign regarding America's conversion 
to digital television.
    ``(b) Single Grant.--No later than January 31, 2009, and ending no 
earlier than March 31, 2009, the Assistant Secretary shall award a 
single grant from the program authorized by this section to one 
qualified entity.
    ``(c) Qualified Entity.--For purposes of this section, the term 
`qualified entity' shall be a corporation, organized under section 
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, that represents the 
interests of local noncommercial television stations at the national 
level, and consults with commercial broadcasters, consumer equipment 
manufacturers, electronics retailers, cable and satellite operators, 
consumer groups, older Americans, Hispanic Americans, Americans whose 
primary language is not English, Americans with disabilities, and 
Americans living in rural communities.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for fiscal year 
2009. Such sums are authorized to remain available subject to 
subsection (e).
    ``(e) Termination.--Expenditures for the grant program under this 
section shall terminate on April 30, 2009.''.

SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THE CONVERTER BOX COUPON PROGRAM.

    (a) Amendment.--Section 3005 of the Digital Television Transition 
and Public Safety Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-171; 120 Stat. 23) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b), by striking ``$1,500,000,000'' and 
        inserting ``$1,700,000,000''; and
            (2) in subsection (c)(3), by striking ``by substituting 
        `$1,500,000,000''' each place it appears in subparagraphs 
        (A)(ii) and (B) and inserting ``by substituting 
        `$1,700,000,000'''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 309(j)(8)(E)(iii) of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 309(j)(8)(E)(iii)) is amended by 
striking ``$7,363,000,000'' and inserting ``$7,163,000,000''.
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