[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 14499-14502]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     DTV TRANSITION ASSISTANCE ACT

  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 2607) to make a technical correction to section 3009 of 
the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The text of the Senate bill is as follows:

                                S. 2607

       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 ``DTV Transition Assistance 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. DTV TRANSITION.

       (a) In General.--Section 3008(a) of the Digital Television 
     Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``(1) In General.--'' before ``The 
     Assistant Secretary''; and
       (2) by adding at the end thereof the following:
       ``(2) Use of funds.--As soon as practicable after the date 
     of enactment of the DTV Transition Assistance Act, the 
     Assistant Secretary shall make a determination, which the 
     Assistant Secretary may adjust from time to time, with 
     respect to whether the full amount provided under paragraph 
     (1) will be needed for payments under that paragraph. If the 
     Assistant Secretary determines that the full amount will not 
     be needed for payments authorized by paragraph (1), the 
     Assistant Secretary may use the remaining amount for consumer 
     education and technical assistance regarding the digital 
     television transition and the availability of the digital-to-
     analog converter box program (in addition to any amounts 
     expended for such purpose under 3005(c)(2)(A) of this title), 
     including partnering with, providing grants to, and 
     contracting with non-profit organizations or public interest 
     groups in achieving these efforts. If the Assistant Secretary 
     initiates such an education program, the Assistant Secretary 
     shall develop a plan to address the educational and technical 
     assistance needs of vulnerable populations, such as senior 
     citizens, individuals residing in rural and remote areas, and 
     minorities, including, where appropriate, education plans 
     focusing on the need for analog pass-through digital 
     converter boxes in areas served by low power or translator 
     stations, and shall consider the speed with which these 
     objectives can be accomplished to the greatest public 
     benefit.''.
       (b) Fiscal Years to Which Applicable.--Section 3009(a) of 
     the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-171) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``fiscal year 2009'' and inserting ``fiscal 
     years 2009 through 2012''; and
       (2) by striking ``no earlier than October 1, 2010'' and 
     inserting ``on or after February 18, 2009''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Carson of Indiana). Pursuant to the 
rule, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hill) and the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Stearns) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the legislation under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of S. 2607, the Digital Television Transition 
Assistance Act. We have little more than 7 months until February 17, 
2009, the date of the digital television transition when all full-power 
television stations in the country will stop broadcasting analog 
signals and broadcast only digital signals.
  The Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, of which I 
am a member, has been working hard to prepare consumers for this event. 
However, not all television stations will immediately start 
broadcasting in digital on that day of transition. There are many 
stations that broadcast at low-power levels or that rely upon 
translators and boosters to reach viewers, and many of these stations 
will be transitioning to digital some time after February 17. Many of 
these stations serve viewers in districts like mine that are largely 
rural.
  When Congress passed the Digital Television Transition and Public 
Safety Act in 2005, it recognized that many of these smaller, rural 
stations lacked the resources necessary to immediately switch to 
digital. Therefore, the statute established two grant programs designed 
to aid these stations.
  One grant program provides funds so that low power and translator 
stations may purchase the equipment needed to facilitate continued 
service for viewers of low-power stations and translators on analog 
television sets.
  The other grant program provides funds for low-power stations to 
upgrade their facilities to digital. The provision establishing the 
grant program for low-power stations to upgrade their facilities to 
digital included a technical error that S. 2607 will correct. Current 
law prohibits grant funds from being awarded to stations after October 
1, 2010, more than a year after full-power stations are broadcasting 
only in digital.
  S. 2607 changes that date to February 18, 2009, one day after the 
transition begins. This technical correction will ensure that low-power 
stations can begin to transition to digital as quickly as possible. S. 
2607 would also ensure that the funds Congress set aside for the 
translator grant programs are used to further the DTV transition.
  This program allocated $10 million for qualified low power and 
translator stations to buy digital-to-analog conversion equipment so 
they can continue to offer analog signals after February 17.
  However, it is estimated that at least $3 million of these funds will 
be unspent because not all stations are expected to take advantage of 
the program. Therefore, S. 2607 would permit the National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration to use the excess 
moneys to further consumer education efforts concerning DTV transition 
and the TV Converter Box Coupon Program.
  S. 2607 would permit the NTIA to use extra funds from the $10 million 
grant program to create a program that addresses the educational and 
technical assistance needs of vulnerable populations such as senior 
citizens, residents of rural and remote areas, and minorities.
  This is a simple bill that would make commonsense changes designed to 
speed the transition to digital television in all areas of the country 
and ensure that consumers are informed about the transition.
  I urge Members to join me in supporting S. 2607.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  My colleagues, I rise in support of the DTV Transition Assistance 
Act, the Senate bill, S. 2607, and urge its immediate passage.
  By setting February 17, 2009 as the date for full-power broadcasters 
to transmit exclusively in digital format, the DTV legislation gave 
industry the needed incentives to prepare for this transition.
  The result, 91 percent of broadcasters are transmitting in digital; 
68 percent are already on their post-transition channel and 68 percent 
are already broadcasting at full strength.

                              {time}  1815

  As of April 30, 2008, 78 percent of households had all their 
televisions prepared for the transition, and 91 percent of households 
had one or more televisions that were prepared for this transition. 
This means that with more

[[Page 14500]]

than 9 months still to go, about 10 percent of households were relying 
exclusively on analog over-the-air broadcasts and needed to take action 
to receive programming after the transition.
  Because low-power translator stations are not required to transition 
to digital television, our original DTV legislation created a $10 
million grant program at the National Telecommunications and 
Information Administration, NTIA, to help translators convert digital 
broadcast signals back to analog.
  As it turns out, not many requests for money from the conversion fund 
have really been made. Moreover, even if every translator participated 
in the program, it looks like we will still have money left over. 
Therefore, this bill allows some of the $10 million to be used for DTV 
consumer education, but only if the NTIA determines that not all the 
money will be needed for the converter box program.
  The original DTV legislation also created a second grant program 
making $65 million available to help low-power stations voluntarily 
upgrade to digital broadcasting. At the time, it was believed that low-
power stations would not upgrade until after full-power stations 
transitioned in 2009. Consequently, money from the $65 million upgrade 
fund was not to become available until 2010. It now appears low-power 
stations intend to upgrade sooner, so this bill makes the upgrade funds 
available in 2009 instead of 2010.
  In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense bill that will give 
the NTIA additional flexibility to help ensure that the DTV transition 
goes as smoothly as possible. I strongly support this legislation, and 
I urge my colleagues to also support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Boucher).
  Mr. BOUCHER. I rise, Mr. Speaker, in support of this measure which 
will ease the transition next February to exclusively digital over-the-
air television broadcasting. The bill makes funds available in a timely 
manner for low-power television transmitters to make the transition to 
digital, and it makes approximately $7 million available for public 
education, technical assistance, and the converter box program. While 
this new support is welcome, I'm deeply concerned that a truly smooth 
transition will require that this Congress do much more.
  The total funding for the public education component of our program 
remains miniscule. While polls show that more than one half of the 
population has heard about the digital TV transition, most who know 
about it are confused about how it will apply to them and what they may 
need to do in order to prepare themselves effectively for it.
  The need for technical assistance installing converter boxes and 
analyzing reception problems that may be experienced in the home will 
be vast. This bill makes little provision to meet that need which will 
be acute among our elderly population and in rural and low-income areas 
of the Nation.
  In the United Kingdom, which has carried out their transition in some 
regions of the nation, as many as 10 percent of the external antennas 
and rabbit ears had to be replaced in order to receive a digital 
signal. Our experience with antennas will be no different, and we still 
have no public funding in order to meet that need.
  The antenna replacement problem will be magnified by the lack of 
technical assistance. Viewers who correctly install their converter box 
may still not receive a digital signal, and without technical help will 
have great difficulty determining that the problem is an antenna that 
could receive an analog signal but is too far away from the transmitter 
to receive digital service. That viewer will lose TV reception on 
February 17. When he later finds that the antenna has to be replaced, 
he will have to shoulder that replacement cost on his own.
  This Congress should do more to assure a smooth transition. If we 
don't, I fear that millions of Americans will lose the vital lifeline 
that television service represents next February.
  We might want to consider instituting a program similar to the help 
scheme that has been employed in the United Kingdom. For a payment of 
the American equivalent of $40, TV households receive on-site technical 
support and, if necessary, hardware, including antenna replacement. 
Such a program in the United States would ensure a successful 
transition and would prevent the vital lifeline that television 
represents from being lost by millions of Americans who I otherwise 
fear will lose that service next February.
  I thank the gentleman from Indiana for yielding.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I heard my good colleague from Virginia 
talk about some suggestions, and his suggestion is that we adopt 
something that Britain has adopted. But I'm not sure it's necessary 
because we're having a demonstration project of the digital transition 
in North Carolina. And I think with that sort of demonstration, I think 
after that, if we see problems, then probably that's the best time to 
adjust.
  Mr. BOUCHER. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. STEARNS. I would be glad to yield.
  Mr. BOUCHER. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I share his 
belief that the demonstration project that we are going to have in 
Wilmington, North Carolina, sometime later this year will yield 
valuable information. My concern is that whatever information we 
receive from that demonstration, should it indicate that additional 
steps need to be taken for technical assistance, for public education, 
for the replacement of either rabbit ears or external antennas, will 
not be information that is very useful to us in the absence of funding 
in order to carry out whatever steps that information suggests should 
be appropriate.
  So my recommendation today is that we begin to have a conversation 
about how we could use information collected from the Wilmington 
experience, how we could use information that we can gain very usefully 
from the larger experience they've already had in the United Kingdom 
and put that information to work to make sure that our transition is as 
smooth here in the United States as it has been in the U.K.
  Mr. STEARNS. I would note that certainly his points are well taken, 
but I think after the Wilmington, North Carolina, demonstration, if it 
does not work, there is perhaps a possibility of another demonstration. 
But certainly most of the kinks should be worked out after that first 
demonstration, and I look forward to taking a very careful look at it.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).
  Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentleman, and I rise in support of S. 2607, 
the DTV Transition Assistance Act.
  I agree with everything that all my colleagues have said, and I 
certainly agree with Mr. Boucher that we really need to help facilitate 
the digital transition, which is what this bill does. This has been a 
long time coming, and we're now coming down to the wire. We have only 
223 days until analog TV signals will go dark.
  In the Energy and Commerce Committee several years ago, I joked and 
said when people turn on their TV sets on February 17, 2009 and their 
TV goes dark, many of our political futures will go dark if we don't 
have a good transition along the way. Since we began this process 
several years ago, I have been saying repeatedly that we need to make 
this transition work. That's why I introduced legislation, the National 
Digital Television Consumer Education Act. My legislation would help to 
educate consumers about the effects of the digital transition and what 
they need to do to prepare for it.
  So I do agree with Mr. Boucher that we're ill-prepared. Even if 
people know that it's coming, we also have to make sure that they know 
how to set up their TV for digital broadcasts.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman from New York has 
expired.
  Mr. HILL. I yield the gentleman an additional minute.
  Mr. ENGEL. People need to know how to set up their television for 
digital broadcasts. They need instructions

[[Page 14501]]

on how to get the coupons that the government is providing to enable 
them to get these converter boxes, they need to know where to purchase 
the converter boxes, how to set them up, and many people need these 
instructions in languages other than English.
  These are very, very huge challenges, and we are not spending nearly 
enough money to rise to the occasion. This bill is a good bill, but we 
need other legislation as well to help facilitate the digital 
transition.
  In February, every American must be able to turn on their television 
and watch a crisp digital broadcast. I urge all of my colleagues to 
support this bill and other bills we will be providing to ease the 
digital transition.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, but I will 
reserve the balance of my time just until I understand whether my 
colleague has additional speakers.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis).
  Ms. SOLIS. I would like to thank the gentleman from Indiana for 
recognizing me, and I also want to declare my strong support for S. 
2607, the DTV Transition Assistance Act, which will help improve our 
country's transition to digital television, or DTV, as it is known.
  This bill ensures that the funds already set aside for the DTV 
transition are being used more effectively. With leftover funds from a 
low-power TV grant program, this bill enables the National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration to allocate an 
additional $5 to $7 million this year for consumer education in 
underserved communities, such as seniors, minorities, and in rural 
areas.
  All of the underserved populations, especially Spanish-speaking 
households, are at the greatest risk of being left out of the DTV 
transition. According to recent testimony from the NTIA, 40 percent of 
the calls coming into the converter box coupon call center are from 
Spanish speakers. There is a demonstrated need for additional education 
in Spanish-speaking households about DTV, and this additional funding 
will also help smooth the DTV transition for all Americans.
  I also want to urge my colleagues to address the DTV transition 
issues along the U.S.-Mexican border. While the funding for the bill 
will help, we need a targeted outreach effort along the border because 
of access to both analog and digital TV signals from Mexico and the 
U.S. after the U.S. DTV transition.
  I have personally introduced H.R. 5435, the DTV Border Fix Act, and 
urge my colleagues to please consider cosponsoring this piece of 
legislation. It will help facilitate those emergency responses so that 
people on both sides of the border can hear what's happening, but 
particularly on our side of the border.
  I urge the Members today and colleagues to support this bill before 
us but also to think more importantly about what the next steps are and 
how to help those underserved communities who don't speak English.

                              {time}  1830

  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlelady from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. I thank the gentleman so much for giving me the time 
to speak on this important bill.
  The digital television transition is now 223 days away and many of 
our constituents are simply not prepared. I'm especially concerned 
about our most vulnerable population, our seniors. Eight million older 
Americans are in risk of losing their television reception on February 
17, 2009.
  I've been pleased to work with a number of groups that work directly 
with seniors, including the National Association of Area Agencies on 
Aging, the AARP, and the National Council on Aging, to ensure that 
older Americans are not left in the dark.
  In May, Representative G.K. Butterfield joined me and 21 of our 
colleagues in sending a letter to the National Telecommunications and 
Information Administration regarding this imminent problem, and I'm 
pleased that the bill before us today would take some of the necessary 
steps to ensuring that seniors are prepared.
  Seniors could suffer real consequences if their TVs do not operate 
past February 17, 2009, including isolation from society, anxiety, or 
mental and physical decline. Imagine your parents or grandparents going 
to turn on the television on February 18 and finding nothing on the 
screen.
  Also, we have to remember that there are hundreds and thousands of 
homebound seniors who are unable to go and buy a converter box. Many 
seniors face considerable physical challenges associated with the 
transition, and without people to help come in their homes and install 
these boxes, they're just going to be out of luck. And those seniors 
that have gotten the converter box may face real technological 
barriers. Most people have problems setting the clock on their VCRs. I 
have zeros blinking myself occasionally. Think about the challenge of 
looking at a converter box and trying to figure out what to do next.
  That's why I rise in support of this bill. This legislation will free 
up funds not being used by the NTIA in the distribution of coupons so 
they can be used for consumer education and technical assistance.
  It further directs NTIA to partner with, provide grants to, and 
contract with nonprofit organizations and public interest groups to 
provide for educational and technical assistance to seniors, rural 
residents, and others who may face difficulties with the digital 
transition.
  Despite these efforts, there are sure to be people who we don't reach 
and who wake up on February 18 with no signal. I look forward to 
working with my colleagues to establish any future funding needed to 
ensure that these individuals receive needed assistance.
  Again, we're 223 days away from the digital television transition. I 
urge all of my colleagues to work to ensure that our constituents are 
aware of and prepared for the coming transition.
  I want to thank the leadership for bringing this crucial bill to the 
floor quickly.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers if the gentleman 
from Florida, my good friend, would like to close.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker I would support the bill and urge its 
passage.
  I yield back my time.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I'd like to reiterate that this 
bill fixes two technical errors in order to bring great benefits to our 
constituents through their digital television transition.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2607, the ``DTV 
Transition Assistance Act''. This measure will help facilitate the 
transition to digital television (DTV), a technology which holds great 
promise for this country. It will allow for more broadcast programming 
with better sound and picture quality. It will provide new 
opportunities for wireless technologies on analog spectrum being 
vacated by broadcasters. And most importantly, some of this vacated 
analog spectrum will be used to create a nationwide, interoperable 
broadband network for first responders.
  With the February 17, 2009, DTV transition date slightly more than 7 
months away, however, we must ensure that all Americans are prepared 
for it. S. 2607 takes a step in the right direction by solving some 
outstanding problems relating to the transition in a thoughtful manner.
  Not all television stations will make the transition to digital 
broadcasting on February 17th. Low-power and translator stations, many 
of which serve rural, minority, and other underserved communities, do 
not have a set date by which they must switch to digital. The ``Digital 
Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005'' established a 
grant program to help often financially constrained low-power 
television stations acquire the equipment needed to make the transition 
to digital. S. 2607 makes those funds available beginning in fiscal 
year (FY) 2009, rather than in FY 2011, as provided by current law. It 
also extends the availability of funding through FY 2012. These changes 
will help facilitate the DTV transition for low-power stations so they 
can offer consumers th benefits of digital broadcasting.
  The 2005 Act also established a $10 million program to help 
translator stations continue

[[Page 14502]]

providing an analog broadcast signal after February 17, 2009. Such 
stations are eligible for grants of up to $1,000 toward the purchase of 
digital-to-analog conversion equipment. That grant program is currently 
undersubscribed and includes more than enough money to accommodate 
every translator station. Accordingly, S. 2607 gives the Assistant 
Secretary of Communications and Information the flexibility to 
reallocate unspent money from the program to DTV consumer education.
  Consumer education is the key to a successful DTV transition, and its 
importance cannot be overemphasized. Television is the predominant 
medium through which Americans receive critical public safety 
information and is one of the chief conduits for news and political 
discourse, as well as entertainment. Therefore, the most critical 
aspect of the DTV transition is ensuring that consumers are prepared 
for it. Congress mandated the DTV transition, and it is its 
responsibility to protect our constituents by ensuring the transition 
proceeds as smoothly as possible.
  I am pleased to see the House consider this measure, which will 
contribute to a more successful transition. I strongly support S. 2607 
and urge my colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hill) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the Senate bill, S. 2607.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________