Kneuer Confirmed To Head NTIA

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The Senate has confirmed John Kneuer as assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information.

He is the head of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, which is charged with implementing the potentially $1.5 billion digital-to-analog converter box plan. That is the government program to give up to two, $40 coupons toward the purchase of a converter to households with analog-only sets, though it is yet to be determined whether that will be in analog-only homes, or will cover analog-only second or third sets in cable homes.

Kneuer's confirmation is conditional on his agreement to appear before any committee of the new, Democratically-controlled Senate that may want to quiz him.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.