Martin: Bill Mandating DTV-Education Reporting Would Be Helpful

MARTIN: BILL MANDATING DTV-EDUCATION REPORTING WOULD BE HELPFUL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin told Reps. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.) that he plans to have a draft of FCC digital-TV-education proposals ready for a vote by the other FCC Commissioners by the end of the month, but that a bill requiring broadcasters to report on their DTV-transition efforts and cable to provide bill-stuffers would be helpful. Martin told the ranking members of the House Commerce Committee that it would be "helpful" to have the "additional authority" provided by Barton's and Upton's proposed bill, H.R. 608, which would require broadcasters to report to the Commission every 90 days on their progress in informing viewers about the February 2009 switch to digital broadcasting, although it would not mandate any set number of PSAs they have to run. Cable would be required to include bill-stuffers on the transition. The FCC could levy fines for noncompliance. Chairman Martin also told the legislators that the FCC's next report on video competition has been circulated among the Commissioners for a vote and that it found that fewer than 20% of U.S. households rely solely on over-the-air broadcasting, although it could not break out how many of those had digital TVs that would not need DTV-to-analog converter boxes. The Commission will modify the next competition report to try to ascertain that answer.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6491438.html?rssid=193

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