The Senate Commerce Committee today was slated to consider a bill that would require television stations to stop airing analog signals, and air only digital signals by April 7, 2009, according to the Reuters news service.
The wire company said draft legislation it obtained said most of the airwaves to be freed up would be sold to commercial wireless companies, a move that would raise billions of dollars for the government. The Senate draft calls for the auction to start Jan. 28, 2008.
Current law only requires television stations to give up their analog signals by Dec. 31, 2006 or when 85 percent of the national television audience can see the new digital signals, whichever comes later, Reuters reported.
