DTV Date Still 2009, Says Stevens

Commerce Committee Chairman Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) told broadcasters Wednesday that he still backed a 2009 hard date for return of analog spectrum, but was now primarily concerned with keeping the auction money from that spectrum from being commandeered for non-communications-related Katrina costs. Sen Stevens said the bill establishing that hard date would be marked up Oct. 19, though he said he did not yet have a bill to show anyone or any details. But he reiterated that it would have to be free of anything not tied to the budget. The DTV issues not in the hard-date bill, which could range from multicast must-carry to cable downconversion of the digital signal to use of DTV spectrum by unlicensed devices, will be addressed in a separate bill that Stevens said would be introduced as a companion to the hard-date bill. Sen Stevens said that he had been told by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin that the Commission could be ready with regulations and DTV channel assignments by 2007, but reiterated his preference for a 2009 date.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6263732?display=Breaking+News
* Text of Sen Ted Stevens' Speech
http://commerce.senate.gov/newsroom/printable.cfm?id=246916
* Audio of Sen Ted Stevens' Speech
http://src.senate.gov/public/_files/radio/stevensdtv10_05_05.mp3
* Stevens Pushing 2009 End to Analog TV
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6263762.html?display=Breaking+News
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* Stevens Outlines Two-Bill Strategy For Moving On Telecom Issues
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-NDMT1128545835576.html