Barring a last-minute change of heart from President Obama, today’s House vote means that the DTV transition is on track to move from February 17 to June 12.
Naturally, DC folks have plenty to say about the vote; a sampling of the reactions that have rolled into my inbox:
Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps:
“I welcome Congressional passage of the DTV Delay Act. It has long been clear to me–and it’s even clearer since I became Acting FCC Chairman two weeks ago–that the country is not prepared to undertake a nationwide transition in twelve days without unacceptably high consumer dislocation. The additional four months provided by the law affords urgently-needed time for a more phased transition, including a consumer-friendly converter box coupon program, stepped-up consumer outreach and support–particularly for vulnerable populations–and dealing with coverage, antenna and reception issues that went too long unaddressed. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but thanks to great leadership in the Senate and House of Representatives, we now have an opportunity to do it better.”
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass
“We’ve got to make sure the transition to digital television is done in a way that protects consumers,” said Kerry. “A short delay will give us time to work through the problems left by the Bush Administration and help ensure the transition goes as smoothly as possible without disrupting critical services such as emergency broadcasting announcements. I’m glad my colleagues in Congress and President Obama agreed that a delay was necessary and took action to protect the millions of consumers at risk of losing their television signal.”‘
More after the jump.
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