Feb. 17, 2009, on Boucher’s Mind

FEB 17, 2009, ON BOUCHER'S MIND
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Tom Steinert-Threlkeld]
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) became the latest voice to raise concerns about the upcoming transition to digital TV Feb. 17, 2009, in a speech at the 14th Annual American Cable Association Summit here Wednesday. “Be assured, that date is not going to change,” he said. “Congress will not adjust it. Having said that, I would also tell you that we have some broad concerns about how effective this transition is going to be.” Rep Boucher continued, “Congress appropriated last year $1.5 billion for subsidies for the digital-to-analog converter boxes that would enable people to continue to keep their analog sets in operation. We are deeply concerned that that amount of money is not sufficient; and that there will be millions of very angry people across the country who will not get a subsidy or, if they do, it will be a small subsidy in comparison to the cost of the digital-to-analog converter box.” He added, “I was arguing for about $4 billion which, I think, perhaps would have been adequate to do the job well and provide a converter box at no cost to anybody who needed one in order to keep their analog set in operation.”
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6434745.html