It appears that House Republicans had the last word when it comes to the United States' stance on the February 17 Digital TV (DTV) switch. February 17 was the date that has been implanted into the minds of all Americans, but President Barack Obama and members of the Senate have been reluctant to adhere to the deadline.
A bill passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate earlier this week to delay the scheduled DTV switch until June 12. The bill was introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller. The move was also backed by President Obama and his staff.
Supporters of the delay, however, were dealt a crippling blow thanks to House Republicans according to MSNBC. The bill failed to pass a two-thirds majority and end up with 258 yes votes and 168 no votes.
Now that the February 17 deadline appears to still be in place, mud is being slung by both Democrats and Republicans over the matter. "We could do nothing worse than to delay this transition date," said Joe Barton (R, Texas), a member of the House Commerce Committee. "The bill is a solution looking for a problem that exists mostly in the mind of the Obama administration."
Rockefeller (D, West Virginia) was clearly upset over the bill's failure to pass in the House. "The outgoing Bush administration grossly mismanaged the digital television transition and consumers are confused, households are not prepared, and the coupon program for converter boxes is broken."
As it stands, 6.5 million households will be without TV service on February 17 if the DTV switch goes through as planned. It was reported earlier this week that a delay of the DTV switch would cost PBS an estimated $22 million USD.