US politicians have unveiled a bill which proposes switching off the country’s analogue television signal by the end of 2006, removing the current minimum penetration requirement of 85%.
The bill has been put forward by the House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman and Republican representative, Billy Tauzin. “It is intended to illicit discussion on what the Congress and the FCC can do to encourage a more orderly and timely successful transition to digital television,” he says.
Tauzin berates the lack of progress that private inter-industry negotiations have so far delivered. He also indicated that outstanding Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulings are making it difficult for businesses to make solid plans for the future.
The FCC has already imposed a deadline on electronics manufacturers, forcing them to include digital receivers in all new TV sets by 2007; screens over 36 inches must be digital-ready by 2004 (see FCC Imposes Deadlines For DTV Sets).
If the draft bill were to become legislation, the US would steam ahead of the UK in the transition to digital television. The UK industry is not even looking like hitting the Government’s 2010 switch-off target (see BSkyB’s Lead In UK Pay-TV Market Extends – Merrill Lynch Long-Term Forecasts).
