Lawmakers back keeping 2009 digital TV date

By Rachelle Younglai

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The switch to digital television from analog should not be delayed because it is critical that emergency services have access to freed-up airwaves to communicate, U.S. lawmakers said on Wednesday.

"We will not let that date slip," said Rep. Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan, at a House subcommittee hearing on the status of the digital TV transition.

U.S. television stations are required to switch to airing only digital broadcasts by February 17, 2009, and that will free up 108 megahertz of analog airwaves.

Out of that chunk, 24 MHz is being set aside for public safety so that emergency workers can better communicate with each other, a significant problem during 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.

Democratic Reps. Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania and Jane Harman from California echoed the sentiments about keeping the date.

"We cannot violate a sacred trust to those that died on 9/11. I will do whatever I can do not to let this deadline slip," said Harman.

Rep. Bart Stupak, a Democrat from Michigan, also said he supported setting a hard date to "finally give an additional 24 Mhz of spectrum to public safety agencies to improve first responder communications."

The inability of police and fire officials to communicate during the September 11, 2001, attacks was blamed for the deaths of New York City firefighters despite a police warning when the World Trade Center towers began to collapse.