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2000 Consumer Electronics Show READ ALL ABOUT IT! PAGE 3 NRTC Vows to Keep Lobbying for Rural Loans The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative will continue to push hard for rural local-into-local loan legislation congressional leaders have promised to take up next session, NRTC spokesman Harry Thibedeau said yesterday. “NRTC remains vigilant in working with our friends on Capital Hill to ensure that we get legislation either drafted in committee or in place by April 1 to address this local-into-local issue and fulfill the promise that Congress made in writing to consumers back in the closing days of last session,” Thibedeau said. Congress last year considered adding provisions to the recently enacted satellite TV bill to provide government guaranteed loans to parties interested in providing local broadcast signals to rural areas. But the provision was dropped in the last days of the session because of jurisdictional and budgetary concerns raised by Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas). Gramm, the Senate Banking Committee chairman, complained his committee was not consulted on the proposal and criticized it as too expensive. Rep. Mike Oxley (R-Ohio) earlier this week sounded a pessimistic note for such a provision’s chances of passing Congress this year, warning Congress’ commitment to take up the issue did not guarantee legislation. Concerns such as those Gramm voiced could again kill the provision, he said. But Thibedeau said the NRTC is confident the provision will pass, and that concerns over the potential program’s expense can be overcome. Kennard Threatens to Regulate Cable, Digital TV Compatibility FCC Chairman William Kennard yesterday handed the cable TV and consumer electronics industries an ultimatum: Work out digital compatibility issues by April 1, or face government intervention. Kennard has threatened action on the issue in the past, but he warned that this time the regulatory gun is loaded. “I have directed the FCC staff to draft a set of proposed rules for digital TV compatibility standards,” he said in a CES address. “So if the industry cannot solve these problems by April of this year, we will.” If the industries involved do not resolve the issues by then, Kennard warned he plans to “urge the commission to adopt compatibility rules to protect the public interest.” At issue are the standards necessary to ensure that digital TV sets will be compatible with digital cable set-top boxes and other digital devices. Negotiations between the cable and consumer electronics industries stalled recently when consumer electronics manufacturers refused to accept the cable industry’s proposed standards for the so-called fire-wire connection. Kennard later said he would not be satisfied until the consumer electronics and cable TV industries offer “specific proposals” for compatibility. The Consumer Electronics Association “welcomes Chairman Kennard’s challenge to resolve the remaining copy protection and cable compatibility issues surrounding digital television,” CEA President Gary Shapiro said in a statement. TURN THE PAGE OTHER ISSUES: Thursday, Jan. 7, 1999 Friday, Jan. 8, 1999 Sunday, Jan. 10, 1999   Please direct questions about this site to general.mail@satbiznews.com q 2000 Satellite Business News Inc. All rights reserved.