DTV Switch on U.S.-Mexico Border Concerns Lawmakers

House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) and Telecom & Internet Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) have written the Federal Communications Commission and National Telecommunications and Information Administration with concerns about the digital television transition, especially concerning stations along the US-Mexico border. The lawmakers are asking the FCC and the NTIA to focus DTV-education efforts on the border area, given some of its unique challenges, including encouraging them to tune to U.S. broadcasters for emergency information. "After the DTV transition, most Mexican stations will continue to broadcast only in analog format, and all full-power U.S. stations will broadcast in digital format," the letter said. "Because many of the Spanish-speaking households near the border watch both U.S. and Mexican television, there appears to be much potential for consumer confusion."