A summary of the fed’s proposed $825 billion stimulus package includes $650 million for DTV converters. The document was released today through the office of Rep. Dave Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
“In the next two weeks,” he wrote, “Congress will be considering the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009. This package is the first crucial step in a concerted effort to create and save 3 [million] to 4 million jobs, jumpstart our economy and begin the process of transforming it for the 21st century with $275 billion in economic recovery tax cuts and $550 billion in thoughtful and carefully targeted priority investments with unprecedented accountability measures built in.”
The $650 million set aside for DTV converter-box subsidies is included in a section focused on science and technology. Another $6 billion is allocated for grants to provide wireless and broadband service to underserved areas. NASA, a heavy user of video, is targeted for $600 million, two-thirds of it for climate-change research.