DTV Transition & Media Reform

In February 2006, Congress passed an early 2009 "hard deadline" for the nation’s transition from analog to digital television (DTV) transmission. The bill reallocates more than $40 billion of TV broadcast spectrum for auction to wireless broadband services and to public safety. It also earmarks spectrum revenues to finance a converter box subsidy for all low- and middle-income consumers who rely on over-the-air TV -- a plan originally proposed by New America. With a hard deadline and consumer subsidy now law, New America is helping to lead an increasingly broad public interest coalition to address other, related issues in the DTV transition debate, including the expanded public interest obligations for broadcasters and the opening of unused TV channels in each geographic market for unlicensed community wireless broadband use.

Click here for a more detailed description of this topic.

Click here for a comprehensive listing of all related content.