Powell To Exit Quietly With No DTV Vote

Bloomberg has reported that FCC Chairman Michael Powell won't seek a vote on his DTV plan, letting Congress deal with it.

As we reported in the February issue of DigitalTV magazine, House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas) has said he planned to introduce legislation to impose a December 2006 cutoff for broadcasters to switch. Powell, who is leaving the FCC this month, had proposed a 2009 digital switch.

While broadcasters have feared losing the 15% of viewers who receive television via over-the-air,
public safety groups want the spectrum freed for emergency services.