House Blocks DTV Delay, But Revival Possible

The effort by Democrats to delay the DTV transition by four months was defeated Wednesday in the House of Representatives, as Republican opposition prevented the measure from reaching the two-thirds majority needed for passage under special procedures.

However, the measure is not completely dead; Congress could take it up again next week, and put it up for a straight majority vote. The vote, according to the Associated Press, was 258-168 in favor of the delay, entirely along party lines with the exception for 22 Republicans voting yes and 13 Democrats voting no.

The compromise struck by both parties on the Senate Commerce committee had passed the full Senate, unanimously, early in the week, and the Obama Administration supports it.