Sanders, Boucher Want DTV Antenna Subsidy Bill

Rep Rick Boucher (D-VA), long concerned about the need for more rooftop antennas in a world of digital-only full-power TV, says he is prepping his own DTV antenna subsidy bill to address what he calls a "looming problem." It is similar to a bill proposed by Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the last Congress and expected to be introduced in the new one not long after that new Congress is sworn in Tuesday (Jan. 6). Boucher says he supports that bill, though he says it may need more money than the $80 per over-the-air-only household Sen Sanders is proposing. His own version may shape up in the next two or three days. Sen Sanders and Rep Boucher both want to subsidize rooftop antennas, just as the government does with DTV-to-analog converter boxes, arguing that a lot of people who could get by with rabbit ears for analog service will need the antennas to get a digital picture.