House DTV Subsidy Slammed

At a House Commerce Committee meeting devoted to opening statements from Members on digital television transition legislation, Democrats repeatedly and pointedly painted the DTV bill as another example of reconciling the budget on the backs of the poor so that tax breaks for the rich could be preserved. "Nearly 21 million households, many low-income or minority, rely solely on over-the-air analog TV reception," said ranking Democrat John Dingell of Michigan. "Countless others own at least some TVs that rely on over-the-air transmission. So millions of American families will need a converter box costing $60 or more just to keep watching television once analog signals cease. House Republicans, to protect their tax cuts, would force millions of Americans to reach into their wallets and pay a television tax of $20 to $60 per TV set. Why should ordinary people pay for a government decision that makes their television sets obsolete?" The bill will be marked up this morning (see story below about an expected amendment benefiting New York City broadcasters). House Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) has already introduced an amendment to the bill that sets aside some revenues generated by returned spectrum auctions for funding first responders.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6277751?display=Breaking+News...
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