Chairman Markey Wants Some DTV Answers

House Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) has asked the heads of the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications & Information Administration for a status report on the digital television transition. One of his concerns is the NTIA's digital-to-analog converter box coupon program -- 1) will there be a shortfall of those boxes as IBM estimates there are 11.2 million boxes currently in inventory, production, or shipping, while NTIA estimates the total demand at 33.5 million boxes and 2) is their sufficient funding for coupons and call centers. If NTIA's DTV coupon redemption rate remains at about 50%, there would technically be plenty of money for the program, with NTIA estimating being able to return several hundred million to the US Treasury. But an accounting lag between sending out coupons and their expiration dates, which frees up the money to be used for new coupons, could slow coupon distribution by mid-January, NTIA has said. Congress, which set the funding cap ($1.34 billion including administration costs), would likely have to lift it to make sure that the program was not delayed, though Chairman Markey said in his letter to NTIA chief Meredith Baker that there was "precious little time remaining to act legislatively." He also asked Baker whether she thinks the cap will need to be lifted to meet expected consumer demand. NTIA is said to favor that move. Chairman Markey asked a number of questions of both Baker and FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to be answered by Dec. 23, including whether Martin believes the transition is on track, whether he thinks there will be enough money for the converter box program, how the FCC plans to spend its remaining converter box education money, whether he thinks the FCC has enough folks and money to handle phone calls about the transition and whether he thinks private-sector call center efforts will make up the difference.