Washington - The U.S. Senate on Monday passed a bill that would delay by about four months the transition to digital TV broadcasting, giving consumers more time to prepare and the government more time to distribute coupons for digital TV converter boxes. The bill is a compromise between Democrats and Republicans, with provisions that will allow stations to switch to digital before the June 12 date, so that public safety agencies may make use of the freed spectrum. The bill will also provide companies who bid on some of the spectrum that will be freed by the analog switchoff with 116 additional days on their licenses.

Washington - The U.S. Senate is expected to vote next week on a bill that would delay the federally-mandated transition to digital TV broadcasting from its currently scheduled date of Feb. 17. A new bipartisan bill supported by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and ranking Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) would allow broadcast stations to effect the switch before the June 12 deadline if they so choose, and let government safety agencies make use of the newly freed spectrum space.