TV's Spectrum Showdown

This article presents one view of the transition situation.  There are others.  However, it's a useful recounting of the current policy environment. --Dennis | In a deal originally made in 1996, broadcasters may soon be forced to return airwaves now used to transmit analog signals.  ¶  For nearly a decade, the nation's 1,700 TV stations have been promising to broadcast crystal-clear digital signals to viewers across the country. But somehow, rushing toward that end never seemed to be entirely in their best interest.  ¶  Those promises go back to a deal broadcasters made with the federal government under the 1996 Telecommunications Act and a follow-up congressional bill a year later. Broadcasters received free electronic airwaves -- which are technically owned by the public and controlled by the federal government -- for digital transmissions. In return, they had to give back the airwaves they now use for their old analog broadcasts, which had been doled out over several decades. But they didn't have to return it until 85% of U.S. households receive digital signals or the year 2006, whichever came later. ... BusinessWeek