Senate DTV Hearing Late June, Bill Draft Underway
The Senate Commerce Committee announced Thurs. it plans a hearing June 29 on DTV spectrum auctions, but it isn’t certain whether a draft bill will be completed and introduced as legislation before that date, a committee spokeswoman said. “We expect a draft bill by the end of the month,” the spokeswoman said.
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Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. Stevens (R-Tex.) said he is considering adding a subsidy provision for converter boxes to the bill, which would distinguish it from the House draft discussion bill that left it out -- angering House Democrats. But while Stevens views the issue as critical for consumers, it’s not clear what type of program would be included, nor whether a final bill would include such language, sources said.
“It’s fraught with a lot of pitfalls,” said a spokesman for Thomson. Even though there’s strong interest in providing some type of relief for consumers, he suggested that a legislative solution ultimately may not be necessary: “Eventually, this is going to happen on its own. We didn’t need Congress to mandate color TV.”
The FCC’s decision on tuner mandate Thurs. (see related story) could be a step toward a marketplace solution, the spokesman said. By moving up the deadline for DTV-tuner equipped sets would be available, a market is effectively getting a jump start, he said. “I think it’s not a coincidence,” referring to the FCC order taking place at the same time that Congress is considering DTV legislation. “There are some good conversations going on on either side of the Smithsonian, and that’s as it should be.”
Meanwhile, a flurry of meetings took place Wed. with cable interests on Capitol Hill, industry sources said. “It gave us a chance to put our views out there,” one source said. NCTA is scheduled to have a “listening session” with Senate staff on the DTV bill shortly before the hearing, which will give the group a chance to further outline its views on how the legislation should be shaped. Sen. Stevens is holding the private listening sessions to draw out information from a wide variety of sources as it tackles complex telecom issues before the committee.
NAB had a listening session with the committee in late May and several consumer electronics companies have met with staff. Most say the sessions are productive fact-gathering opportunities that give companies a chance to lay out their wish lists.