On Completing the Transition and Recovering Spectrum

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The most hotly contested DTV topioc in Washington today is over the shut-off date for the analog spectrum.

The arguments for and against a "date certain" cut off are uppermost though not far behind is the approach using the 85% rule.

The most compelling argument for a "date certain" (2006 still most favored) is that it focuses the mind like nothing else can. The 85% rule is in and of itself not clear. Many take it to mean that when 85% of the TV households in a market can decode any digital signal the rule is satisfied. Others say that it should be satisfied only when 85% of the households can decode a digital over-the-air broadcast. Under either circumstance the life of an old analog receiver is extended while spectrum can b e returned to the FCC for auction.


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