Powell Plans Vote on Digital TV Switch
Michael K. Powell, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, plans to hold a vote this year on a plan to require U.S. television broadcasters to convert to digital signals by January 2009, a Powell aide said.
Powell, who supports the plan, has decided to schedule a November or December vote even after a Senate committee rejected a similar proposal last week, said Jonathan Cody, a legal advisor to Powell on media regulation.
A switch to digital TV, which offers superior pictures and sound, would let airwaves now in use be distributed for police and fire-safety purposes and be sold to Internet and other companies.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
