Broadcasters Agitate For Broader DTV Box Subsidy

BROADCASTERS AGITATE FOR BROADER DTV BOX SUBSIDY
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Todd Shields]
Congress appropriated $1.5 billion to subsidize boxes that will convert digital signals for viewing on traditional analog TVs. “I think it actually is going to cost the government more than they realize,” David Rehr, president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, said in a recent address. Congress approved a $40 subsidy per converter box. That could pay for 37.5 million units. But an estimated 73 million analog sets are used to receive over-the-air signals. The NAB thinks 45 million of those are in homes that rely solely on over-the-air broadcasts, with another 28 million serving as second and third sets in cable and satellite homes. The government has proposed excluding the pay TV homes from the subsidy program. The NAB and electronics retailers, in a Sept. 25 filing, said everybody should be eligible. Big cable, which could pick up customers who decide to hook up their extra analog sets, has not filed comments.
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