National Journal's Drew Clark offers his assessment of the battle going on in D.C. that will directly affect all first responders. "Lobbying Heats Up on the DTV Transition Date," points out that, "...an association including the affiliates of ABC and NBC has been meeting with Hispanic and African-American legislators in an effort to oppose a premature hard date. Legislators from inner-city and rural areas have been particularly concerned about the fallout of a hard date on their constituents, many of whom have limited incomes."

There is no doubt about it, the above mentioned association and the National Association of Broadcasters will use every angle to avoid any near term hard transition date. Rural areas and those cities that are in hard economic times are exactly where better communications are most neeeded.