Legislators Push Bill To Force Broadcasters To Give Up Spectrum

Reps. Jane Harman (D-CA) and Curt Weldon (R-PA) urged House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) to force some television broadcasters to relinquish their spectrum immediately to emergency responders. The proposal, detailed in a letter to Hastert, is meeting with resistance from The Walt Disney Co., Viacom/CBS, Univision, Paxson Communications and other broadcasters whose stations would be knocked off the air. The lawmakers asked Speaker Hastert to schedule a floor vote on the Homeland Emergency Response Operations Act or HERO Act, introduced by Rep Harman last April 14. The measure, which has 38 cosponsors, would require broadcasters operating on four channels -- 63, 64, 68 and 69 -- to vacate the frequencies by Jan. 1, 2007. Reps Harman and Weldon are pushing to get the bill on the suspension calendar -- which requires a two-thirds majority for passage -- before Congress leaves for the year.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-TBQC1134596735647.html