DTV Funding Isn’t Enough, Lawmakers Tell Gutierriez
The Bush Administration’s proposed cut in funding for NTIA on the eve of the DTV transition raises “serious questions” about the agency’s ability to do its job, House Commerce Committee John Dingell, D-Mich., said at a budget hearing Thursday. “I am particularly troubled that the administration has requested no additional funding to support consumer education for the converter box coupon program,” he said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
Help is need from business to get the word out, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez told the committee. “More than 15 federal agencies” are working with NTIA and the FCC to inform the public about the transition and the converter-box program, he said. NTIA projects spending $472 million in fiscal 2009 on the converter box program and $60 million to help low-power TV stations upgrade signals from analog to digital formats. There’s an estimated $5 million for consumer education on the program.
That’s not enough, several lawmakers said. Gutierrez agreed, but stressed that businesses are supplementing federal money. “By partnering with social service and community organizations… we are helping to ensure the digital transition does not leave any American without TV service,” he said. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., said he fears that people may know the transition is coming but not what to do about it.
While installing a TV at his in-laws’ home recently, Stupak said many neighbors stopped by to ask him about the transition. Their questions showed they don’t understand the steps to take. “I'm afraid we have a program that will come crashing down,” Stupak said. “They're aware of it [transition], but don’t know what to do about it.”
Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., told the Media Institute he plans to introduce legislation that would take money from anticipated 700 MHz auction revenue to add to the converter box program. NAB said it “strongly supports” the idea. Boucher said the $20 million that the FCC proposed for additional DTV consumer education in its 2009 budget “is not close to being adequate.”
As transition preparations advance, holes in planning are emerging, Boucher said. He said many consumers may need to replace antennas that can’t receive digital signals. “I give them credit” for acknowledging that more money is needed, but the request is not nearly enough, Boucher said.
Another gap in program planning involves nursing home residents, who can’t apply for converter box coupons, said Rep. Janice Schakowsky, D-Ill. “I'm worried that this population will suffer real consequences if the TVs go dark,” she said. Gutierrez said, “I agree this is a concern… We are trying to prevent this from become a problem,” and NTIA has “been all over this for about a month.” The agency is exploring partnerships to help seniors hook up their converter boxes, another gap in education planning that lawmakers cited.
The impending departure of NTIA Acting Administrator Meredith Baker, who took over from John Kneuer last year, also prompted criticism from some lawmakers. “I am dismayed that the NTIA, a key agency to the transition, is again plagued by leadership changes at so critical a time,” said Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif. Neil Patel, an aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, has been nominated to head the NTIA as the third administrator since Congress “charged the agency with the analog-to-digital converter box program,” Harman said.
Dingell questioned Gutierrez about the White House decision to name a new administrator, saying the turnover of management is “coming at a critical time.” The committee is increasingly concerned that there may be a “lack of a skilled hand,” he said. Gutierrez said he agreed that “leadership continuity is critical.” He praised Baker’s management of the program, saying her departure would be a “big loss.”
But he said NTIA staff is on top of the project and at least 20 people brief him on it. “They have a lot of ownership [of the program] and a great deal of passion to make sure it gets done right,” he said. “It’s extremely important we execute this in the right way, and I share your commitment to making this transition as flawless as possible.”