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On January 26, 2009, the Senate passed a bill that would delay the transition from analog to digital television transmission. The DTV Delay Act passed by "unanimous consent" would delay the transition (scheduled for February 17, 2009) until June 12, 2009.
The date of DTV transition was established in 2005 after years of debate and delays. Now, just weeks before the deadline, the Senate has chosen to further delay the process because a few people may have not yet received the message.
The House took up the argument on January 27, 2009 with the hopes of fast-tracking this bill to the White House. However, the bill did not receive the two-thirds majority needed to bypass the normal process. As a result, further proceedings on this motion were postponed. This effectively kills the bill although it is still on life support.
There is a small chance that this bill could be reintroduced in the first week of February 2009. The problem is that the FCC has 30 days to make a ruling. If the FCC doesn't rule quickly, the current deadline will pass. The best case scenario would leave the Broadcasters with about 2 weeks to implement a change plan.
The date of DTV transition was established in 2005 after years of debate and delays. Now, just weeks before the deadline, the Senate has chosen to further delay the process because a few people may have not yet received the message.
The House took up the argument on January 27, 2009 with the hopes of fast-tracking this bill to the White House. However, the bill did not receive the two-thirds majority needed to bypass the normal process. As a result, further proceedings on this motion were postponed. This effectively kills the bill although it is still on life support.
There is a small chance that this bill could be reintroduced in the first week of February 2009. The problem is that the FCC has 30 days to make a ruling. If the FCC doesn't rule quickly, the current deadline will pass. The best case scenario would leave the Broadcasters with about 2 weeks to implement a change plan.
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