Q: Now that all TV broadcasts are digital, are there plans and a timetable for them all to be in HD?

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Q: Now that all TV broadcasts are digital, are there plans and a timetable for them all to be in HD?

— David Nugent, Canton

A: There is no requirement for TV broadcasts to be in high-definition television, or HDTV, or for a percentage of a station’s programming to be in HDTV, said David Fiske, spokesman for the Federal Communications Commission. The federal law that took effect on June 12 requires that all full power TV broadcast stations broadcast in digital format only, but the decision to broadcast in HD is the choice of each station licensee.

Q: What was the national debt when each president took office, starting with Richard Nixon? And what is the source?

— Ralph Leonard, Atlanta

A: The Bureau of Public Debt, under the authority of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, keeps monthly statements of public debt online dating to 1963. All these figures are as of the inauguration month of January, except for President Gerald Ford, who was inaugurated in August.

● President Richard Nixon, 1969: $358 billion

● President Gerald Ford, 1974: $481.7 billion

● President Jimmy Carter, 1977: $653.9 billion

● President Ronald Reagan, 1981: $934 billion

● President George H.W. Bush, 1989: $2.69 trillion

● President Bill Clinton, 1993: $4.16 trillion

● President George W. Bush, 2001: $5.7 trillion

● President Barack Obama, 2009: $10.6 trillion

Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2022 or e-mail lori@fastcopy.biz (include name and city).