The report said under a deal negotiated by Republicans in the House and Senate, up to $1.5 billion would be available to help people buy converter boxes to keep their old, analog-signal televisions working when the transition is finished.
The compromise is part of a larger bill aimed at cutting government spending over the next five years, which was narrowly approved by the House and still must be passed by the Senate, the report said.
Current law requires stations to switch to airing only digital broadcasts when 85% of the country can receive the new signals, or by