Audio Video News

It feels like watching a tennis match—back and forth, over and over. The decision to delay the analog-TV cutoff was passed by the Senate, rejected by the House of Representatives, passed again by the Senate last week, and finally passed today by the House with a vote of 264-158. Interestingly, the number of Republicans who voted for the bill (23) was greater than the number of Democrats who voted against it (10). Obviously, President Obama will sign it, since he spearheaded the effort to delay the transition in the first place.

"The passage of this bipartisan legislation means that millions of Americans will have the time they need to prepare for the conversion," said White House spokesperson Amy Brundage. "We will continue to work with Congress to improve the information and assistance available to American consumers in advance of June 12, especially those in the most vulnerable communities."

The bill allows households with expired coupons to reapply for them. It also allows broadcasters to make the switch any time between February 17 and June 12 as long as they clear it with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Some 276 stations have informed the FCC that they will stick to the Feb. 17 date, while 143 stations have already pulled the plug, and another 60 have indicated that they will do so prior to Feb. 17.

Now, it's up to the FCC to come up with a plan to implement the new law, including whether or not to retain a requirement for stations to give viewers 30 days notice before ceasing analog transmissions. Apparently, the FCC has been working on such a plan just in case.