Joe Barton: “I will try to make this as succinct as possible. The motion to commit before us says that notwithstanding any other…”

“I will try to make this as succinct as possible. The motion to commit before us says that notwithstanding any other provision in the bill that is before us, those stations that have spectrum that is going to be used by public safety officials and first responders have to relinquish that spectrum on February 17. If there's any station whose spectrum is adjacent to the public safety spectrum that would interfere with the public safety spectrum, those stations also have to relinquish their spectrum on February 17. So what this motion to commit does is simply say that for first responders and public safety officials who have been waiting patiently for almost 7 years, they will get their spectrum on February 18. That is all it does. I would point out that it's been brought to my attention that the entire State of Hawaii has been digital now for an entire month. They went digital to protect migrating birds who would be interfered with if they waited until February 17 to move one or two particular transmitters. So, in the State of Hawaii, they have been all digital for a month, and there's been no problem; 143 stations on the mainland have already gone digital. There has been no problem. The Acting FCC Chairman says that about 60 percent, and maybe as many as 90 percent of the TV stations, are going to go digital between February 17 and June 12. So I don't think there's a reason for the delay.”