Today the House Energy and Commerce Committee rejected 28-21 a PIRG-backed proposal to adequately compensate consumers whose TV sets will go dark through no fault of their own unless they purchase expensive settop converter boxes when the digital TV (DTV) transition takes place. (Previous blog.) We'll have more later on a Mary Bono (R-CA) amendment that the committee apparently did accept-- the Bono amendment preempts a strong California energy efficiency law (her own state!) for new appliances, allowing these converters to be energy-wasters.