Sen. Kohl Urging Rockefeller, Others To Remedy DTV Coupon Backlog
Also says government needs to start monitoring the availability of converter boxes in retail stores
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/8/2009 10:28:00 AM
The pressure to fix the DTV-to-analog converter box coupon backlog continues to mount.
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Special Committee On Aging, called on Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WVA) and others to act quickly, and said that the government needed to start monitoring the availability of converter boxes in retail stores.
Earlier in the day, Consumer Electronics Association President Gary Shaprio said his members would make sure there were adequate supplies of the boxes on store shelves.
Presdient-elect Barack Obama has asked Congress to move the Feb. 17, 2009 DTV transition date back
, citing the coupon box waiting list as well as what it says is a general underfunding of the transition.
Kohl said he had been asking the National Telecommunications & Information Association for months for a plan to "manage the volatility in coupon requests, including allowing applicants whose coupons have expired (after 90 days) to reapply." That has also been supported by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin.
Rep. Ed Markey is currently working on a bill that would free up more money for distributing converter boxes.
