Italy is preparing to shift from analog to digital free TV by 2006, a goal that has the government working on a media bill for the introduction of experimental terrestrial digital transmission before next year, Communication Undersecretary Vincenzo Vita said Tuesday, March 28, 2000. The Italian government is pushing to force two terrestrial TV channels - Mediaset's Rete 4 and pay TV Telepiu's Telepiu Nero, the latter of which airs an analog signal through decoders - from analog to digital satellite transmission in order to free up their frequencies for terrestrial digital transmission tests.Source: The Hollywood Reporter