TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005

Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005

Monty Solomon (monty@roscom.com)
Sun, 12 Feb 2006 15:41:23 -0500

S.1932 was signed by President Bush on 2006 February 8.

Excerpts from S.1932
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:s1932enr.txt.pdf

TITLE III--DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSITION AND PUBLIC SAFETY

SEC. 3001. SHORT TITLE; DEFINITION.

(a) Short Title- This title may be cited as the `Digital Television
Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005'.

SEC. 3002. ANALOG SPECTRUM RECOVERY: FIRM DEADLINE.

(b) Terminations of Analog Licenses and Broadcasting- The Federal
Communications Commission shall take such actions as are
necessary--

(1) to terminate all licenses for full-power television
stations in the analog television service, and to require
the cessation of broadcasting by full-power stations in the
analog television service, by February 18, 2009 ; and

(2) to require by February 18, 2009 , that all broadcasting
by Class A stations, whether in the analog television
service or digital television service, and all broadcasting
by full-power stations in the digital television service,
occur only on channels between channels 2 and 36, inclusive,
or 38 and 51, inclusive (between frequencies 54 and 698
megahertz, inclusive).

SEC. 3005. DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER BOX PROGRAM.

(a) Creation of Program- The Assistant Secretary shall--

(1) implement and administer a program through which
households in the United States may obtain coupons that can
be applied toward the purchase of digital-to-analog
converter boxes; and

(2) make payments of not to exceed $990,000,000, in the
aggregate, through fiscal year 2009 to carry out that
program from the Digital Television Transition and Public
Safety Fund established under section 309(j)(8)(E) of the
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 309(j)(8)(E)).

(b) Credit- The Assistant Secretary may borrow from the Treasury
beginning on October 1, 2006, such sums as may be necessary, but
not to exceed $1,500,000,000, to implement this section. The
Assistant Secretary shall reimburse the Treasury, without
interest, as funds are deposited into the Digital Television
Transition and Public Safety Fund.

(c) Program Specifications-

(1) LIMITATIONS-

(A) TWO-PER-HOUSEHOLD MAXIMUM- A household may obtain
coupons by making a request as required by the
regulations under this section between January 1,
2008, and March 31, 2009 , inclusive. The Assistant
Secretary shall ensure that each requesting household
receives, via the United States Postal Service, no
more than two coupons.

(B) NO COMBINATIONS OF COUPONS- Two coupons may not be
used in combination toward the purchase of a single
digital-to-analog converter box.

(C) DURATION- All coupons shall expire 3 months after
issuance.

(2) DISTRIBUTION OF COUPONS- The Assistant Secretary shall
expend not more than $100,000,000 on administrative expenses
and shall ensure that the sum of--

(A) all administrative expenses for the program,
including not more than $5,000,000 for consumer
education concerning the digital television transition
and the availability of the digital-to-analog
converter box program; and

(B) the total maximum value of all the coupons
redeemed, and issued but not expired, does not exceed
$990,000,000.

(3) USE OF ADDITIONAL AMOUNT- If the Assistant Secretary
transmits to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives and Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate a statement certifying that
the sum permitted to be expended under paragraph (2) will be
insufficient to fulfill the requests for coupons from
eligible households--

(A) paragraph (2) shall be applied--

(i) by substituting `$160,000,000' for
`$100,000,000'; and

(ii) by substituting `$1,500,000,000' for
`$990,000,000';

(B) subsection (a)(2) shall be applied by substituting
`$1,500,000,000' for `$990,000,000'; and

(C) the additional amount permitted to be expended
shall be available 60 days after the Assistant
Secretary sends such statement.

(4) COUPON VALUE- The value of each coupon shall be $40.

(d) Definition of Digital-to-Analog Converter Box- For purposes of
this section, the term `digital-to-analog converter box' means a
stand-alone device that does not contain features or functions
except those necessary to enable a consumer to convert any channel
broadcast in the digital television service into a format that the
consumer can display on television receivers designed to receive
and display signals only in the analog television service, but may
also include a remote control device.

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