Delay of analog TV's death hits House snag WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The effort to delay next month's scheduled death of analog television suffered a setback in Congress on Wednesday, despite warnings that millions of American homes will not be able to see broadcast shows in three weeks.
The bill, which passed the Senate unanimously Monday, failed to get the necessary two-thirds vote in the House on Wednesday afternoon. It was not immediately known if or when another vote might be taken in the House. Unless Congress acts quickly, older televisions won't pick up TV broadcasts after February 17 without a digital converter. The switch will not affect cable or satellite subscribers. On that date, all local stations are required to pull the plug on the analog transmitters they've used since the invention of television. The stations have begun digital broadcasts over the last several years The transition to digital-only broadcasts has been set for nearly a decade, but 6.5 million households, mostly lower-income, have not bought the newer digital TVs or converters for their old sets, according to a study by the Nielsen Company. The bill, sponsored by Sen. John Rockefeller, D-West Virginia, would allow stations to keep their old transmitters turned on until June 12. The bill, which passed the Senate unanimously Monday, failed to get the necessary two-thirds vote in the House on Wednesday afternoon. It was not immediately known if or when another vote might be taken in the House. Unless Congress acts quickly, older televisions won't pick up TV broadcasts after February 17 without a digital converter. The switch will not affect cable or satellite subscribers. On that date, all local stations are required to pull the plug on the analog transmitters they've used since the invention of television. The stations have begun digital broadcasts over the last several years The transition to digital-only broadcasts has been set for nearly a decade, but 6.5 million households, mostly lower-income, have not bought the newer digital TVs or converters for their old sets, according to a study by the Nielsen Company. The bill, sponsored by Sen. John Rockefeller, D-West Virginia, would allow stations to keep their old transmitters turned on until June 12. *********************************** * POST TO [email protected] * *********************************** Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
