Ntia converters

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By clicking here to download the spreadsheet, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the above disclaimer. The National Telecommunication and Information Administration division of Commerce this week released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the program that would subsidize digital-to-analog converters. The converters, similar to cable set-top boxes, will allow legacy analog TVs to decode digital signals by converting the digital signal to an analog format.

The NAB was hoping to see eligibility apply to anyone with an over-the-air set in the house. The broadcast lobby estimates that 73 million TVs in the country are fed by neither cable nor satellite, while 28 million of these broadcast-only TVs are in cable and satellite households. The NTIA concluded, however, that Congress intended the assistance program for people with no cable or satellite service--roughly 16 million homes. The NTIA notice requested input on several more elements involved in the biggest nonmilitary government-technology mandate of all time.

Qualified retailers would be legally bound to tell people what the converters are and how to hook them up; submit reports to the NTIA and be ready for a government audit at any moment.

Dealers would have 30 days to turn coupons in to the NTIA for redemption within 60 days. All stations will be relegated to Channels 2 through 51 come , but the converters are expected to hit the market before the analog end date.

Performance standards were a chief concern of broadcast advocates in Washington, D. Many of the criteria turned up in the NTIA notice.

One item in the NTIA notice likely to generate debate is whether or not to set an energy consumption standard. Earlier this year, the California Energy Commission proposed setting energy consumption limits on converters at 8 watts powered up and 1 watt in standby. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency has launched a program targeting converters under its Energy Star banner.