Congress Approves Analog Extension

By Doug Lung
published

If President Bush signs the Rockefeller-Capps bill, all analog full-power TV broadcasting will not end on Feb. 17, 2009.

The bill directs the FCC to develop and implement, by Jan. 15, a program to permit continued analog TV broadcasts with DTV educational information and emergency messaging after the Feb. 17, 2009 transition date.

The bill, S.3663, is similar to the House bill previously described in RF Report with the exception that broadcaster participation is voluntary. The House bill could have been interpreted as requiring broadcasters, where possible, to continue analog broadcasting of DTV transition and emergency information.

“Coupled with our billion-dollar campaign to educate Americans on the digital TV transition, this timely legislation will give broadcasters one final resource to ensure that no TV viewer is left behind due to insufficient information,” said Dennis Wharton, NAB executive vice president. “We applaud Congress and thank Sen. Rockefeller and Rep. Capps for their leadership on this issue."

Read more of Doug Lung's RF Reporthere.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.