U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the chamber's Commerce Committee, has introduced a bill that sets an April 7, 2009 hard date for the transition from analog broadcasting to digital. As part of the legislation, the FCC would be forced to begin auctioning the analog spectrum it gets back from the nation's broadcasters in January 2008, which according to some estimates would generate about $10 billion -- half of which would actually go into the federal government's coffers. Part of the remainder would help subsidize the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes for people who can't afford them, although those details have yet to be worked out.
The bill is scheduled to be voted upon by the Commerce Committee on Wednesday.
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