Lincoln Introduces Legislation to Make DTV Transition More Affordable for Consumers
Published by Senator Blanche Lincoln July 12th, 2008 in Sen. Blance Lincoln Column.U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln has introduced legislation that would lessen the burden on consumers making the transition to digital television (DTV).
Lincoln’s Digital Television Transition Consumer Relief Act of 2008 would temporarily waive the tariff assigned to DTV converter boxes. The transition to DTV, slated to take effect on February 17, 2009, will require millions of households to purchase a converter box, but unforeseen import duties could unnecessarily drive up the cost of theses converter boxes.
“Nearly 20 million U.S. households, including 122,150 in Arkansas, do not subscribe to cable or satellite service. In order for these viewers to retain access to television signals, they will be forced to replace their older analog TV sets, subscribe to a paid service, or purchase a new converter box. Congress should do everything we can to make this transition as manageable as possible for these families, many of whom are low- to moderate-income and live in rural areas, and I encourage my colleagues to help consumers by passing this legislation,” Lincoln said.
Converter boxes are estimated to cost between $40 and $70. As part of the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 (DTV Act), Congress authorized up to two $40 coupons per household to help purchase the converter boxes. However, U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently classified imported converter boxes as subject to import duties that will needlessly increase the cost of these essential products. Lincoln’s legislation would temporarily waive these duties during the digital transition.
Lincoln is a member of the Senate Finance Committee with jurisdiction on trade legislation.
In accordance with the DTV Act, full power broadcasters must switch off any analog signal by midnight on February 17, 2009 and transmit only digital signals over the air. Freeing up analog use of bandwidth will not only mean better pictures and sound for television viewers but also greatly enhanced communications capacity for our nation’s first responders.
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Here’s a hint — work on making fuel less expensive. I’d rank fuel and energy a notch or two above television.
Brandon, I agree with that statement 100%!
AMEN. The digital tv transition is going to affect such a small portion of the population. ONLY the people who watch tv from AN OUTDOOR ANTENNA will be affected.
If you have DirecTv (ain’t it great) or Dish satellite you already have digital tv and you will not see any difference.
If you have cable tv you will not see a difference either because our wonderful and local cable company is already converting your digital channels and your watching it now.
If you are watching tv on an outdoor antenna and plan to continue, then by all means you are going to have to have a digital tv or digital converter in February of 2009.
Many retailers are taking advantage of this transition to push High definition (HD) televisions but HD is entirely seperate from the digital transition Ms. Lincoln is addressing.
So let’s just relax and enjoy the digital television or even better let’s go visit friends and family on the front porch.