House Defeats Bill to Delay Digital TV Transition

WASHINGTON - Bucking the Obama administration, House Republicans on Wednesday defeated a bill to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting to June 12 — leaving roughly 6.5 million U.S. households unprepared for the switchover.

The 258-168 vote failed to clear the two-thirds threshold needed for passage in a victory for GOP members, who warn that postponing the transition from the current Feb. 17 deadline would confuse consumers.

House Republicans say a delay also would burden wireless companies and public safety agencies waiting for the spectrum that will be vacated by the switchover, and create added costs for television stations that would have to continue broadcasting both analog and digital signals for four more months.

The defeat is a setback for President Barack Obama and Democrats on Capitol Hill, who maintain that the Bush administration bungled efforts to ensure that all consumers — particularly poor, rural and low-income Americans — will be ready for next month's analog shut-off.

The Nielsen Co. estimates more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog television sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals still are not prepared for the transition. People who subscribe to cable or satellite TV or have a newer TV with a digital tuner will not be affected.

But Joe Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the House Commerce Committee, insisted a postponement is not necessary.

"We could do nothing worse than to delay this transition date," Barton said. "The bill is a solution looking for a problem that exists mostly in the mind of the Obama administration."

Barton led the push to scuttle the bill, which passed the Senate unanimously on Monday night after lawmakers in that chamber struck a bipartisan compromise. Senate Democrats won over Republican support by allowing broadcast stations to make the switch from analog to digital signals sooner than the June deadline if they choose and permitting public safety agencies to take over vacant spectrum promised to them as soon as it becomes available.

But those concessions did not placate most Republicans in the House. Only 22 House Republicans voted for the bill, while 155 voted against it. Among House Democrats, 236 voted for the bill and just 13 voted against it.

The Obama administration called for the transition date to be postponed after the Commerce Department earlier this month hit a $1.34 billion funding limit for coupons to subsidize digital TV converter boxes for consumers. The coupon program allows consumers to request up to two $40 vouchers per household to help pay for the boxes, which translate digital signals back into analog ones for older TVs. The boxes generally cost between $40 and $80 each and can be purchased without a coupon.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller, D-W.Va., author of the bill, said he was disappointed by the outcome of the House vote.
"The outgoing Bush administration grossly mismanaged the digital television transition and consumers are confused, households are not prepared, and the coupon program for converter boxes is broken," Rockefeller said in a statement.

The Obama administration had no immediate comment on the House vote.
The next step remains unclear. Gene Kimmelman, vice president for federal policy at the Consumers Union, which has been lobbying for a delay, said he hopes House Democrats will bring the bill up again for a regular floor vote, which would only require majority support to pass. Wednesday's vote took place under a special procedure that required two-thirds support for passage.

Congress in 2005 required broadcasters to switch from analog to digital signals, which are more efficient, to free up valuable chunks of wireless spectrum to be used for commercial services and interoperable emergency-response networks.

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Senate Votes to Delay Digital Transition by 4 Months to June 12

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Monday voted unanimously to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting by four months to June 12 — setting the stage for Congress to pass the proposal as early as Tuesday.

Monday's Senate vote is a big victory for the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress, who have been pushing for a delay amid growing concerns that too many Americans won't be ready for the currently scheduled Feb. 17 changeover.

The Nielsen Co. estimates that more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog television sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals could see their TV sets go dark next month if the transition is not postponed.

"Delaying the upcoming DTV switch is the right thing to do," said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., author of the bill to push back the deadline. "I firmly believe that our nation is not yet ready to make this transition at this time."

The issue now goes to the House, where Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., has vowed to work with House leaders to bring Rockefeller's bill up for a floor vote on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama earlier this month called for the transition date to be postponed after the Commerce Department hit a $1.34 billion funding limit for government coupons that consumers may use to help pay for digital TV converter boxes. The boxes, which generally cost between $40 and $80 each and can be purchased without a coupon, translate digital signals back into analog ones for older TVs.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the arm of the Commerce Department administering the program, is now sending out new coupons only as older, unredeemed ones expire and free up more money. The NTIA had nearly 2.6 million coupon requests on a waiting list as of last Wednesday.

Jonathan Collegio, vice president for the digital television transition for the National Association of Broadcasters, argues that the Nielsen numbers may overstate the number of viewers who are not ready for the digital transition. He noted that the numbers exclude consumers who have already purchased a converter box but not yet installed it, as well as those who have requested coupons but not yet received them.

What's more, consumers who subscribe to cable or satellite TV service or who own a TV with a digital tuner will not lose reception.

Still Gene Kimmelman, vice president for federal policy at Consumers Union, argues that millions of Americans — particularly low-income and elderly viewers — will pay the price because "the government has failed to deliver the converter boxes these people deserve just to keep watching free, over-the-air broadcast signals."

In 2005, Congress required broadcasters to switch from analog to digital signals, which are more efficient, to free up valuable chunks of wireless spectrum to be used for commercial wireless services and interoperable emergency-response networks.

Republicans in both the House and Senate have raised concerns that a delay would confuse consumers, burden wireless companies and public safety agencies waiting for the airwaves that will be vacated and create added costs for television stations that would have to continue broadcasting both analog and digital signals.

Paula Kerger, president and CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service, estimates that delaying the digital TV transition to June 12 would cost public broadcasters $22 million.

But Rockefeller managed to ease some of these concerns by allowing broadcast stations to make the switch from analog to digital signals sooner than the June deadline if they choose and by permitting public safety agencies to take over vacant spectrum that has been promised to them as soon as it becomes available.

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US Senate Passes Bill to Delay Digital Transition

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate passed a bill on Monday to delay the nationwide switch to digital TV signals, giving consumers nearly four more months to prepare.

The transition date would move to June 12 from Feb. 17 under the bill that was fueled by worries that viewers are not technically ready for the congressionally-mandated switch-over.

It also would allow consumers with expired coupons, available from the government to offset the cost of a $40 converter box, to request new coupons. The government ran out of coupons earlier this month, and about 2.5 million Americans are on a waiting list for them.

Senate Commerce Chairman John Rockefeller said delaying the TV switch is the right thing to do because the United States is not yet ready to make the transition.

"The Senate acted responsibly to give the Obama administration time to attempt to bring order to a mismanaged process," the West Virginia Democrat said in a statement.

Many lawmakers worry that an estimated 20 million mostly poor, elderly and rural households are not ready for the switch, which requires owners of older television sets receiving over-the-air signals to buy a converter box or subscribe to cable or satellite TV.

Broadcasters are moving from analog to digital signals to give public safety officials more spectrum, especially useful for emergencies, and to improve viewing quality.

Momentum had been building for a delay since President Barack Obama backed it earlier this month.

The digital TV bill also would extend the licenses of AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications which are waiting for the airwaves to be vacated when all TVs convert.

The companies, which paid $16 billion for the public airwaves in an auction last year, would get 116 extra days on their licenses under the proposed legislation.

CTIA, the wireless trade association, has said a delay could hurt confidence in the FCC's spectrum auctions.

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Novi Prepares for the DTV Transition

As the deadline looms for the federally mandated digital television transition, local businesses are offering consumers the necessary products and solutions to make the switch as smooth as possible.

Digital Communication Solutions in Walled Lake said the goal of its Web site is to explain the transition and offer services to help facilitate the change.
As of midnight Feb. 17, all television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to digital broadcasting.

"If someone is currently using a standard definition television with an over-the-air antenna, then on the date of the transition their TVs will just go to snow," said Jerry Chapman, president of the Novi-based Solid Signal.

Those who are currently connected to cable, satellite or any other pay TV service should not be affected.

In an effort to assist with the transition, the government is offering $40 TV Converter Box Coupons for households who wish to keep their analog television sets.

The Novi-based Solid Signal is an online retailer of high-tech consumer electronics and a government-approved vendor of digital television converter boxes.

"We carry a variety of products for those who want a choice," Chapman said, noting his company sells 5,000-7,000 converter boxes a week. "I think people think it's going to give them cable, but it just enhances what you've already got."

On average, Chapman said converter boxes range from $50-$90 and are offered with various amenities.

Other transition solutions include purchasing a new television with a built-in digital tuner or subscribing to cable services through a local provider.

According to Digital Communication Solutions, the transition is happening because broadcasters became interested in high-definition television and providing more channels to viewers, while Congress backed the move to digital to free up the analog channels for emergency communications and advanced services.

Among the benefits of the switch to digital, Chapman said it will offer different programming options and a clearer picture.

Although the switch day is still Feb. 17, a postponement, supported by the Obama administration, could be voted on by lawmakers in coming weeks.

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Congress to Weigh Delay of Digital TV Transition

President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team said it backs legislation to postpone next month’s digital television transition until June because some viewers won’t be ready for the switch.

Democratic committee chairmen in both houses of Congress are proposing to delay until June 12 the date for major TV stations to stop sending traditional analog signals. The change is now set for Feb. 17 at midnight.

The push reflects mounting concern that some households won’t have needed equipment by that date. The waiting list at a program to provide subsidies for digital converter boxes may swell to more than 6 million requests in the next month, said John Podesta, co-chairman of the Obama transition team.

“Lack of appropriate planning has left many consumers vulnerable,” Podesta said in a letter today to congressional leaders. He urged “immediate consideration and passage” of legislation put forth by Senator Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, that would postpone the change.
There are concerns about the “capacity and competence” of a planned federal call center, Podesta wrote. He said the poor, disabled, elderly and rural could be most affected.
Some Republicans have opposed a delay, saying it would cause confusion.

Under the current plan, major TV stations are to cease sending the analog signals used for decades and begin transmitting programming exclusively in digital. Analog TV sets connected to antennas will need converter boxes to continue receiving signals.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to vote Jan. 21 on whether to delay the changeover until June 12, the date proposed by Representative Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who heads the committee, aides said today. The bill by Rockefeller, who’s the next chairman of the Commerce Committee, was introduced yesterday and offers the same date.

“Congress is likely to pass some sort of delay, given lawmaker concerns about likely disruptions to some TV viewers and a possible backlash,” said Rebecca Arbogast and David Kaut, analysts at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. in Washington, in a note to investors today.

Obama’s team called on Jan. 8 for postponing the date, citing a funding shortfall a program that subsidizes digital equipment. The program offers $40 coupons toward the cost of converter boxes, which sell for $40 to $80 at retail outlets.

Coupons are mailed out using third-class bulk mail and take four to six weeks to arrive, Podesta said in his letter. He reminded leaders of the Jan. 8 request and said that since then “the situation has only gotten worse.”

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Are you ready for the digital switch?

We are five weeks away from the digital T-V conversion.

A Federal Communications Commissioner held a town hall meeting in Bristol Tuesday to address problems and questions about the upcoming change.

T. V. will be turning digital February 17th, but an FCC Commissioner's outlook for the conversion is grim.

"I do know we're not ready. This country is not ready. Hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of citizens are not going to be ready. It becomes a matter of public safety and security of the people, so it's not to be taken lightly," says FCC Commissioner Michael Copps.

Only people with analog televisions need to take action.

They'll have to get cable, satellite or a converter box within the next several weeks to watch T. V. after the switch.

Recently, the government ran out of coupons to help people pay for the converter boxes.
Congressman Rick Boucher, who was chosen chairman of the house committee on communications, technology and the Internet last week, says the program was flawed from the start.

"Those in control of congress at the time frankly decided to do this transition on the cheap," says Boucher.

Boucher says he'll push to fund the coupon program as soon as possible.

President-elect Barack Obama has also suggested the transition date be pushed back.

While it will give more time, Boucher says the delay could create other problems.

"There might be the potential to create some public confusion in the event that the date is changed. Broadcasters would be required to expend greater sums," says Boucher.

"The government did drop the ball. Where we did not get coordinated and organized quite as well as we should have been," says Copps.

Bottom line, the commissioner says, is act now. The digital conversion is still set for February 17th. If you can't afford a converter box, you should apply for the coupons now because more funding could be on the way.

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Funding For TV Coupons Runs Out

At Solid Signal of Novi, owner Jerry Chapman says sales of TV converter boxes have doubled in the past month after a government public service campaign alerting people that TV signals switch from analog to digital on Feb. 17.

Converter boxes are needed for people who don’t have cable or satellite service, or who have older analog signal TV sets.

“Right now we’re shipping 5,000 to 7,000 boxes a week,” says Chapman. “That’s ramped up from two months ago when we were doing 3,000 boxes a week.”

But the urgency may evaporate in the coming weeks before the Feb. 17 switch to digital.

President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team on Thursday asked Congress to extend the Feb. 17 cutoff of analog broadcasting.

The federal program subsidizing the cost of the converter boxes through $40 coupons has run out of money for now, meaning that people are on a waiting list for the coupons to defray the costs of the boxes.

Congress in 2005 authorized the switch from analog broadcasting to digital, selling off digital bandwidth to free up analog bandwidth for other uses.

But until recently, people have been slow to sign up for the coupons that defray the cost of the boxes.

“We’re probably in the 11th hour,” says Chapman. “Most people have a clear understanding that something’s coming. I would say 90 percent of the people know what they need. About 10 percent are still clueless as to what they need. That’s a huge change from not too long ago.”

From the state of Michigan’s point of view, television is among the most common ways to get public safety or emergency information, and officials urge people with analog signals to sign up for the converters.

“The news, weather and community information we receive from television could be critical to our families,” said Gov. Jennifer Granholm. “We do not want any Michigan family to be left without this vital information.”

Michigan has a helpline available with live operators to answer questions and/or help citizens order a coupon to be used toward the purchase of a converter box.

The Michigan DTV Helpline is sponsored by Don-Lors Electronics and can be reached by calling toll free to (888) 643-8809 or visiting the Michigan DTV Web site at www.michiganDTV.com for more information.

With or without a coupon, the boxes, which cost between $40 and $70 are in plentiful supply.

“The big vendors have done a good job of making sure they have enough supply,” says Chapman.

He carries 20 varieties depending on what someone needs.

For example, nursing homes might prefer converter boxes with large buttons for the vision impaired. Some people care about color. Some boxes have extra features.

Meanwhile, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights encourages people to get ona waiting list for the coupons. It estimates it’ll take four to six weeks for someone to receive a coupon once it is requested.The group urges people to use coupons not used by friends or neighbors to offset the costs of the boxes.

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zBoost Launches International Version of Industry Leading Consumer Cell Phone Signal Booster

Wi-Ex, the leading provider of consumer cell phone signal boosters, announced the launch of the zBoost International today at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The zBoost International works with all phones on the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequencies and allows consumers outside of the US to not only experience increased indoor cell signal coverage - up to 200 sq. meters, but to be able to take full advantage of data and Internet services on their mobile phones including 3G high-speed data and video, instant messaging, pictures and more. The zBoost International will retail for an introductory price of $499. The award-winning, U.S. version zBoost which operates on the 800 MHz and 1900 MHz, was selected as a 2007 Consumer Electronics Association Innovations Honoree by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

Las Vegas, January 7, 2009 -- Wi-Ex, the leading provider of consumer cell phone signal boosters, announced the launch of the zBoost International today at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The zBoost International works with all phones on the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequencies and allows consumers outside of the US to not only experience increased indoor cell signal coverage - up to 200 sq. meters, but to be able to take full advantage of data and Internet services on their mobile phones including 3G high-speed data and video, instant messaging, pictures and more. The zBoost International will retail for an introductory price of $499. The award-winning, U.S. version zBoost which operates on the 800 MHz and 1900 MHz, was selected as a 2007 Consumer Electronics Association Innovations Honoree by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

"With more than 3 billion cell phone subscribers worldwide, cell phone signal issues are a major roadblock for today's consumers who rely heavily on their cell phone for voice and more increasingly data," said Lloyd R. Meese, CEO of Wi-Ex. "Today, consumers have limited options when it comes to improving in-door cell phone reception- either buy a cell phone signal booster like the industry-leading zBoost, buy an expensive femtocell from their carrier and pay an ongoing fee or as most of us have experienced at some point - stand by a window or go outside. With the launch of the zBoost International, consumers inside and outside of the U.S. have access to the solution they need for improving in-door cell phone signal issues and enjoying all the voice and data services their phone has to offer."

With the continued popularity of iPhones and Blackberries, data is playing a larger role in mobile phone service plans, and in-door coverage must improve to ensure reliability. According to Informal Telecoms & Media, in 2008 the home environment will be responsible for 35% of total mobile data traffic, but this traffic is expected to increase to an overwhelming 60% in 2013.
The zBoost International allows multiple users to operate their phones simultaneously (including both data and voice), works with all phones on the 900 MHz and 18000 MHz frequencies and is compatible with all major carriers. It's easy to install and the base unit can be placed in the family room, the basement, an office, a bedroom or a central location. Increasing coverage can be directly translated into increased productivity and savings.

Other benefits of the zBoost International include decreasing dropped or missed calls, no cradle or connection to your phone and extended battery life, since phones use less power when the signal is stronger. All zBoost products feature patent-pending technology which protects the carrier network. The package includes everything you need: amplifier base unit, power supply, base unit antenna, low-loss SATV coaxial cable (RG6), signal antenna and mounting hardware. The omni-directional signal antenna receives signals from multiple cell towers.

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NTIA Creates DTV Coupon Waiting List

Washington—Due to a federal accounting law they probably never heard about, consumers can't gain immediate access to $40 coupons created to help them buy converter boxes for the viewing of digital broadcast TV signals on old analog sets, the Bush administration announced Monday.
Congress set aside $1.34 billion to allow consumers to use 33.5 million coupons. About 18 million coupons have already been used and about 15 million more are still in the field and may or may not be used.

But a federal budget law, called the Antideficiency Act (ADA), requires the U.S. Commerce Department to assume that all 15 million active coupons will be used, even though the one-year program has had a 50% redemption rate, which has edged toward 60% only in recent weeks.
"For consumers, what this means is that anyone who is requesting coupons now will be placed on a wait list and will be mailed coupons on a first-come, first-served basis," Meredith Attwell Baker, head of the U.S. Commerce Department's coupon program, told reporters Monday on a conference call.

On Feb. 17, all full-power TV stations need to cease analog broadcasting and rely exclusively on digital signals, which in many cases have been up and running for almost a decade. According to the National Association of Broadcasters, 73 million analog TV sets were broadcast-only when Congress voted in December 2005 to end analog TV in a law President Bush didn't sign until February 2006.

To help consumers prepare for the switch, Congress approved $1.34 billion (plus $160 million in administrative funds) to subsidize the purchase of converter boxes at retail. The program was open to all households, not just to the estimated 12 million to 20 million households that rely exclusively on free, over-the-air broadcasting and are considered the most vulnerable to losing free TV service after the switch to digital.

The program reached its $1.34 billion commitment ceiling on Sunday. Those who applied before Sunday can expect to receive their coupons within four weeks, said Baker, who heads Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Those on the waiting list won't be mailed any coupons until previously mailed coupons have expired. Each household that received a maximum two coupons had 90 days to use them before they expired automatically.

Based on a 60% redemption rate, the Bush administration expects to mail out another 6 million coupons by March 31, when the program ends, Baker said.

The waiting list, at least initially, should clear quickly. Each week, about 350,000 coupons expire. "There are 103,000 on the [waiting] list right now," Baker said.

The Bush administration is not supporting an ADA waiver for the coupon program. But Baker said she is working with Congress and the incoming Obama administration on ways to unfreeze the coupon program.

"Certainly, if Congress chose to waive the ADA, we would comply with whatever Congress passed," Baker said.

The NAB and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) want to see the budget rules relaxed. "NTIA should be permitted to mail out coupons immediately, and we urge Congress to work with NTIA to lift the red tape that is keeping available coupons out of consumers' mailboxes," CEA spokeswoman Megan Pollock said.

The NTIA's program ran into accounting trouble when coupon requests spiked in December to 7.2 million, compared to a monthly average of 3.5 million from January to September. NTIA ramped up its coupon program promotion in the last quarter to maximize consumer receipt of coupons before the Feb.17 cutoff of analog TV signals."Our goal was really to make November and December out highest month," said Baker, who declared success.In September, Baker told Congress that based on redemption rates so far, the coupon program would likely return $300 million to the U.S. Treasury.

That prediction still might come true, depending on the ultimate level of consumer reliance on coupons.

A few weeks later, Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin sent then-House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) a letter saying he was concerned that the coupon program might run out of money.

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Government Creates Waiting List for DTV Converter Box Coupons as Program Hits Funding Ceiling

Consumers who apply for federal coupons to pay for converter boxes ahead of next month's transition to digital television broadcasts are being placed on a waiting list and may not receive their vouchers before the switchover, the Commerce Department said Monday.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the arm of the Commerce Department administering the coupon program, created the waiting list on Sunday after hitting a $1.34 billion funding limit set by Congress.

The agency will send out coupons to those on the list only as unredeemed coupons currently in circulation expire, freeing up more money for the program. The waiting list already has requests for 103,000 coupons.

And Meredith Attwell Baker, head of the NTIA, urged consumers now requesting coupons not to wait for them to arrive and to instead act quickly to ensure that they have at least one television set ready for Feb. 17 transition.

Under the rules set by Congress, which mandated that broadcasters switch from analog to digital broadcasts to free up more room in the wireless spectrum, the NTIA cannot commit more than $1.34 billion at any time to cover the cost of converter box coupons. That pool includes coupons that already have been redeemed; unexpired coupons that have been mailed out but not yet redeemed; and coupons that have been requested but not yet mailed out.

As The Associated Press reported Friday, Congress could address the funding problem by approving more money for the coupon program or raising the $1.34 billion cap by waiving the accounting rules that require the NTIA to wait for unredeemed coupons to expire before issuing new ones.

"The NTIA has left us with precious little time to respond to the cash crunch," Edward Markey, D-Mass., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, said in an interview Monday.

Markey is working on bipartisan legislation to waive the accounting rules and said he hopes to pass a bill as soon as possible. That would immediately free up tens of millions of dollars for the program and buy Congress a few weeks to examine larger funding problems, he said.

The NTIA estimates that based on preliminary data and a 60 percent redemption rate, roughly 351,000 coupons will expire each week through the Feb. 17 transition, roughly 495,000 coupons will expire weekly through March 16, and 655,000 will expire weekly during the last two weeks of March.

Sen. John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., the incoming chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, agreed that Congress needs to act quickly. "The change to digital television is just weeks away, and today we learn that the Bush Administration's approach to nickel-and-dime efforts aimed at making this conversion easier on consumers is flat broke," Rockefeller said in a statement. "The failure to protect consumers is simply astounding."

Although the converter box coupon program is open to all, it was created to help consumers who rely on analog television sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast TV signals, including many in minority and low-income communities. Under the program, consumers can request up to two $40 coupons per household to help pay for the converter boxes, which can translate digital signals from the airwaves into analog ones and generally cost between $40 and $80.

Coupon requests have ticked up sharply over the past six weeks as the NTIA, along with the Federal Communications Commission, TV broadcasters, cable operators and consumer electronics makers have ramped up efforts to educate people about the upcoming transition.

So far, more than 24 million households have requested more than 46 million coupons and redeemed more than 18 million of them, according to the NTIA.

Consumers do not need a coupon to purchase a converter box. Consumers also can sign up for cable or satellite TV or buy a television set with a digital tuner to ensure that their TV sets do not go dark on Feb. 17.

TV industry analysts at Nielsen Co. estimate that as of December, 6.8 percent of the 114 million U.S. households with televisions remained completely unready for the digital transition. Another 10 percent still had at least one television set that was not yet ready.

Unprepared households will lose all channels except for low-powered stations, which will still be allowed to transmit in analog temporarily.

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Digital Transition Countdown Begins

Soon, broadcasters will stop airing programs using analog signals. That means that anyone who does not have a digital television set and still gets over-the-air programming using rabbit-ears antenna, will need to get a special converter box in order to keep receiving TV signals. You won't be affected by the transition if you already subscribe to cable or satellite service, or if you have a digital TV.

The problem is, a lot of consumers don't know the transition is coming and have never heard about these converter boxes. That's why several officials charged with educating the public about the "digital transition," held a press conference this morning at the Best Buy in Tenleytown to show off the converter boxes and get the word out about their availability.
You can request a $40 coupon to help cover the cost of a converter box at www.dtv2009.gov. Each household can request up to two coupons.

U.S Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said the department has received requests for more than 4.4 million coupons since they became available last month. Starting on Feb. 17, the one-year mark from the transition, consumers can start purchasing the converter boxes at Best Buy, Radio Shack and Wal-Mart. More retailers are expected to carry the boxes shortly thereafter. Thirty-four different converter boxes have been certified to be sold to consumers.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, an agency within the Commerce Department, is responsible for directing the converter box coupon program. The NTIA, as well as the Federal Communications Commission, have been under pressure to do more to educate the public about the transition, so people still using analog television sets--particularly in elderly, low-income and minority communities--won't be left in the dark a year from now.

Industry officials also have a huge stake in the transition. For cable operators, it presents an opportunity to sell cable service to new customers. Broadcasters can now air more programming with better sound and picture quality, and want to make sure they can still reach viewers. And TV manufacturers see a chance to sell more digital TVs.

All the players say the transition is on track--and it needs to be, considering the FCC is currently auctioning off the analog spectrum being freed by going digital. But with 21 million households still relying on analog signals, and many more with analog TVs in their kitchens, bedrooms and basements, there undoubtedly will be a few people who don't hear the news. And some skeptics are questioning whether NTIA will have enough coupons for everyone who wants one.

It should be an interesting year.

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