Broadcasters scored something of a victory in slowing down the proposed conversion to digital TV from analog TV when the Senate approved a bill late last week that would require the switch by April 7,
2009. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., tried to amend the legislation to force broadcasters to make the DTV switch by April 7, 2008, a full year earlier. In a statement, Eddie Fritts, president and CEO of
the National Association of Broadcasters, said the defeat of Sen. McCain's amendment was a "victory for millions of Americans who could have been left stranded by a premature end to analog television
service." The Senate also earmarked $3 billion to subsidize digital-to-analog converters for analog-only TV sets.
--Wayne Friedman
