WEEKLY SENATE UPDATE

HELPING RURAL AMERICA TRANSITION TO NEXT GENERATION TELEVISION

            It is hard to imagine life without television.  Since coming into use in the 1930s, it has proven essential in providing billions of people around the world with access to information and entertainment.  Indeed, as a society, we probably watch too much television instead of enjoying the great outdoors or reading a good book.  But on the whole it has provided us all with a greater understanding of the human condition - from realtime coverage of countless wars around the world to historical firsts like the man on the moon. 

            But our television is about to radically change from the traditional analog system that has been in use over the past 50 years to a state of the art digital system.  For years, analog television used antennas and broadcast radio signals to send programming to individual communities.  Today, we have digital television that similarly distributes digital broadcasts over the air and for free, but using a more advanced digital technology.  Right now each broadcaster has both an analog TV channel and a digital TV channel.

            Many people are ready for this transition.  Some have already purchased these next generation digital televisions. The simple difference between analog and digital television is quality.   If you have ever looked at a true digital TV signal displayed on a good digital television set, you can certainly understand why -- the digital version is simply much more clear.

            Indeed, our nation’s television broadcasters and Congress are prepared to move forward with a full-blown transition for all television programming to digital television.  In fact, the Congress could enact digital transition legislation as early as this year.  While this is certainly a laudable and worthwhile goal, we also must recognize that we cannot leave rural parts of our nation behind in this transition.  In fact, low power analog stations that are located in rural areas are not supposed to be a part of the full power digital television transition. This is to allow them more time, because they may not have the resources to immediately switch. 

            Working with my colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee that has jurisdiction to write digital transition legislation, I have introduced a bill, the Digital Translator and Low Power Television Transition, to help rural communities transition from analogue to digital television. Because I believe that Congress must act explicitly to ensure that low power stations have the necessary time and adequate funds to move into the digital age.  The Digital Low Power Television Transition Act would address these needs.

            My legislation would assist translator stations and low power analog stations.  Translator stations are small stations that repeat a signal from full power stations so that the signal may be reached in remote areas.  Low power analog TV stations are television stations that typically serve smaller, rural communities.  While translators and low power analog TV stations are located in many parts of the country, most are concentrated in rural areas, including many parts of Maine.  

            This bill is not meant to be a comprehensive approach to the digital television transition.  It is merely a solution to one of the many questions Congress will face this Congress.  Rural America deserves the same benefits that digital television will bring that will be available in urban areas. 

            The legislation would put a deadline for the low power digital television transition four years out from whatever the hard date is that Congress ultimately decides for the full power digital television transition.  Full power stations have had years to transition to digital.  Low power stations have yet to even receive their digital allocations, and therefore need additional time to upgrade equipment.  This delay will also allow consumers in rural areas to continue to use analog television sets to receive over-the-air signals until digital television equipment becomes more prevalent in small town consumer electronics stores.

            It would also establish a grant program to help defray the cost of upgrading translators and low power television stations from analog to digital.  This money for the grant program would come from a trust fund set up with proceeds of the spectrum auctions that will take place because of the full power digital television transition.

            Because of the secondary status of translators and low power stations, the auction of full power analog spectrum will remain unaffected.  These stations play an important role in rural communities, therefore this bill calls upon the FCC to report to Congress on the status of translators and low power analog. 

            My goal is to assist the rural communities and their low power stations without interrupting the greater digital television transition.  I believe this can be done if we work together to ensure that every layer of our society and every geographic area is considered as we proceed with this truly transformation transition.