The Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet is marking the T-minus 252 days and counting point of the DTV transition with a hearing, and the leading lights of the panel, Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) and Ranking Member Cliff Stearns (R-FL) will run the affair in two parts. The first will feature representative from two government agencies, NTIA’s Bernadette McGuire-Rivera; and GAO’s Mark L. Goldstein. The second panel figures to be where the fireworks, if any, will be. It has one watchdog and five other representing various involved business sectors affected by the transition: Mark Lloyd of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights; Tom Romeo from IBM; RadioShack’s John Ripperton; Kim Cannon from Fayetteville NC/Wilmington NC cable outlets owned by Time Warner; Nielsen’s Eric Rossi; and representing the broadcast community, Raycom Media’s Paul McTear – like TW Cable, Raycom also has a station in DTV test market Wilmington in the form of NBC WECT and an LMA of Fox WSFX, owned by Southeastern Media Holdings.
RBR/TVBR observation: Anybody hoping for a preview of the anticipated John Dingell (D-MI) attempted dismemberment of FCC Chairman Kevin Martin will be in for a disappointment. The FCC has been entirely spared by the Committee this time around.
