Lawmakers to Put 2008 Digital Deadline in Bill

Senior Republican and Democratic lawmakers said they had agreed to include in a draft bill a 2008 deadline for conversion of the U.S. television system to digital signals.

House Commerce Committee members, at a hearing in Washington, said they had no consensus on whether to provide $3 billion in subsidies to households that now receive free over-the-air signals rather than cable or satellite TV. These 21 million households would need to buy converter units to continue to receive broadcast signals.

Congress wants a deadline for TV broadcasters to convert from analog to digital signals so the government can give analog airwaves to police and fire-safety agencies and sell them to Internet and wireless companies.