IP: If DTV's Busted, So Is the Budget

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Mike Liebhold <mnl () well com>
Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 19:12:42 -0700
To: Dave <dave () farber net>


This is pretty amusing -- After over a decade, the broadcasters are
still hoarding DTV spectrum:
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,54332,00.html



var lnb_S=2; var lnb_I="VID=5102=1_PR=49_APPID=0";

 
If DTV's Busted, So Is the Budget
By Brad King <mailto:brad_king () wired com?subject=If DTV's Busted, So Is the
Budget> 

2:00 a.m.  Aug. 6, 2002 PDT
Faced with a potential budget-busting loss of $18 billion, Rep. Billy Tauzin
(D-Louisiana) has ordered the warring parties responsible for digital
television to just get along.

But with numerous issues still unresolved, it's looking unlikely that the
infrastructure will be in place when the switch date comes in 2006. That's
unacceptable for Congress, which engineered a balanced budget amendment five
years ago to reflect billions in anticipated revenue from spectrum auctions
for DTV. 


  

Tauzin <http://www.house.gov/tauzin/welcome-english.htm> , frustrated by the
lack of consensus on technological issues, said he would craft an omnibus
bill that would legislate solutions. He also directed the Federal
Communications Commission <http://www.fcc.gov>  to begin sorting out some of
these issues. 

The reason for Tauzin's interest: If broadcasters fail to turn on their
digital signals in 2006, legislators will see a massive budgetary shortfall.
When they passed the Balanced Budget Act in 1997, they counted on the
proceeds from the future sale of digital spectrum.

That kind of budgeting is standard practice in Congress; however,
representatives have started questioning it.

"Congress has permitted spectrum auctions, intended as an efficient and
objective means to licensing spectrum, to become a mere tool for raising
revenue," said Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) during a communications
subcommittee meeting in June. The digital television transition, he said,
was made because of budgetary needs, not technological needs.

<snip>