"Delay the analog to digital transition"...Yeah, that's what I expected.

[Manedwolf]

Bet this will happen, and bet it'll be delayed till next year, then next year...

Progress? Using those frequencies for all-areas net? Hell no. "At-risk consumers"...I like that. OH NOES THEY CAN'T WATCH TV!

Congress Urged To Postpone Nation's Switch To Digital TV

By Kim Hart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 8, 2009; D01

Consumers Union is urging Congress to delay the nation's transition to digital television, saying the program to help TV viewers prepare for the switch next month has been underfunded and poorly implemented.

In a letter sent last night to President Bush, President-elect Barack Obama, House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), the consumer advocacy group said Congress should push back the transition "until a plan is in place to minimize the number of consumers who will lose TV signals."

The request comes two days after the federal government said it has run out of money to provide coupons to help offset the cost of converter boxes. Analog television sets that rely on "rabbit ear" or rooftop antennas to receive broadcasts will need a converter box to get a picture after Feb. 17, when all full-powered television stations will stop airing analog signals and move to digital-only broadcasts.

Lawmakers are looking for ways to make sure consumers who need coupons get them in time. "But with the date looming, moving the date back certainly warrants further discussion and may be a wise choice," said Daniel Reilly, a spokesman for Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the House subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet.

As of Sunday, consumers requesting $40 vouchers to help purchase a converter box are being placed on a waiting list, and federal officials warn that TV watchers may not receive the coupons in time for the switch.

A coupon is not needed to purchase a converter box. But with boxes costing $50 to $80 in retail stores, Congress allocated $1.34 billion to provide coupons to help offset the price. Consumers who have a newer digital television or who subscribe to cable or satellite service will not lose programming.

The government-mandated switch to digital television will free up wireless airwaves for public safety agencies and other advanced mobile services. An auction of those analog airwaves raised $19 billion for the government last year. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, an arm of the Commerce Department, was charged with distributing the converter box coupons, which expire after 90 days. But due to the budget shortfall, the NTIA cannot mail out more coupons until already-issued vouchers expire.

"Millions of consumers could now be forced to spend their own money to navigate this federally mandated transition," the letter says. "This economic climate is not the right time to ask consumers to dig deeper into their own pockets to pay for the miscalculation by the federal government. "

Obama's transition team said yesterday that it has not weighed in on whether it would support a delay. Members of Congress are trying to find additional funds for the coupon program and may consider waiving a rule to allow NTIA to issue more coupons without waiting for others to expire.

On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission announced $8.4 million in grants to 12 community-based organizations. The grants are intended to reach out to consumers who are most at risk of losing television signals -- senior citizens, people with disabilities, low-income and non-English-speaking households.

But Consumers Union said it is concerned there is not enough time left to reach all at-risk consumers. The group also questioned the ability of the FCC's call centers to handle a flood of calls from confused television-watchers on Feb. 17.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010703916.html?hpid=moreheadlines

[41magsnub]

How has it been poorly funded or implemented?

I have seen more ads on TV than I can count.  I went to the website and got my two converter box debit cards more than 6 months ago.  Used them both at Best Buy with no hassle.  I've been watching digital broadcast TV for a couple of months now with the exception of Fox where the local station screwed the pooch and did not request an additional channel allowing them to broadcast both analog and digital at the same time.  They will have to do a cold swap the day of the deadline.

If a person procrastinates this long I have no sympathy.

[Perd Hapley]

There's supposed to be a transition?     

[Gewehr98]

There's only so many frequency allocations available in the radio wave spectrum.

If we want High Definition this and that, and Digital Radio/Television or other wireless media, the bandwidth has to come from frequency ranges previously allocated to older analog broadcast channels.

Shock and outrage?

Hardly.

Some point down the road, the frequencies allocated to Digital TV will probably undergo yet another upheaval.

That's progress. 

[Harold Tuttle]

i wonder how many people cable TV watchers, who won't need the converters, requested the coupon anyway?

they were funded for 33.5 million coupons

[Manedwolf]

i wonder how many people cable TV watchers, who won't need the converters, requested the coupon anyway?

they were funded for 33.5 million coupons

I did, because I was paying for it anyway out of my taxes, so they belonged to me. I put the converters away and used one to watch the news during the ice storm when cable went out. I am at the point where every time I look at how much of my paycheck is being sucked up every single time to give money to lazy people, I'll take it back whenever I can, however I can, whenever it is legal to do so.

I just fully expect them to delay this, instead of just pulling the damn tooth and being done with it. We need that bandwidth for other stuff. Wide area internet would benefit a lot of people.

[Gewehr98]

I have two of the coupons, which I'll be redeeming for converters later this week.

I wanted one in case a bad ice storm hit here, knocking out cable tv.  I can run a television with just rabbit ears on our solar/generator system, and see what's going on in the rest of the world.

The other one is a spare for our kids when they leave the nest, and cannot afford cable or dish. 

[BlueStarLizzard]

just do the switch already. if you lose your signal, it obviously means your doing something wrong, and if you really want t.v. you can fix it.

i mean really. its freeking t.v.  

sorry, this is one of those 'emergancies' i just don't get.  

[Uncle Bubba]

How has it been poorly funded or implemented?

I have seen more ads on TV than I can count.  I went to the website and got my two converter box debit cards more than 6 months ago.  Used them both at Best Buy with no hassle.  I've been watching digital broadcast TV for a couple of months now with the exception of Fox where the local station screwed the pooch and did not request an additional channel allowing them to broadcast both analog and digital at the same time.  They will have to do a cold swap the day of the deadline.

If a person procrastinates this long I have no sympathy.

I wonder the same. I feel like I've been beat over the head with those ads. Ditto your last, too.

[mtnbkr]

I know it's cool around here to hate TV and all, but it does have some value, especially for those not on the Internet.  I can still find more up today school closing info on the morning news than I can online, for example.

Chris

[Manedwolf]

just do the switch already. if you lose your signal, it obviously means your doing something wrong, and if you really want t.v. you can fix it.

i mean really. its freeking t.v.  

sorry, this is one of those 'emergancies' i just don't get.  

People have to watch Network 23 and see what the latest product from Zik Zak is?

[BlueStarLizzard]

I know it's cool around here to hate TV and all, but it does have some value, especially for those not on the Internet.  I can still find more up today school closing info on the morning news than I can online, for example.

Chris

its not hating t.v.
i like t.v. In fact, i spent tuesday bouncing around because Scrubs was back on. (yeah!)

the point is, whats the big deal? i assume if they havn't got the box by now, they either don't want it, are waiting for some reason or are just slow and they'll get it when they get.
in other words, nobody's gonna keel over and die on Feb. 17 after a long speech over about how they were unprepared to switch to digital.

[Creeping Incrementalism]

I think there is a fair number of old folks who will be knocked flat by this transition.  The ones who have been watching TV with an antenna since 1950 and have no idea what the PSAs are talking about because they don't even know what digitial means.  The kind of person who is so old he or she could have bought a Tommy Gun at Sears back in the day.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy-pD-M0rY4

I had a grandfather, born back in ought-eight, who was electrically competant enough back in the 60s to wire his TV to an antenna three hundred yards away across a canyon, illegally.  Yet when we got him a simple portable radio-cassette player when he was in his 80s, he was dumbfounded by the fact that there was no "off" switch.  (The kind where putting the selector on "tape" while the casette player was stopped was the off setting).

Incidentally, I was looking at this grandfather's .22 rifle the other day.  It is a Remington Sportmaster something-or-other.  There is a stamp on the manual saying, "prices increase 20% effective Nov 15th, 1941".  The price of a new barrel, fitted at the factory, is listed at $4.00.  His cleaning kit is the Sears house brand, and there is still a little bit of solvent left in the original bottle.

[Marnoot]

I think there is a fair number of old folks who will be knocked flat by this transition.

Perhaps, but folks like that'll be knocked flat no matter when the transition happens. Another year of PSAs won't be of any help.

[41magsnub]

maybe the thing to do is after the transition for a set time all previous stations broadcast just a message stating we have converted to digital, if you need assistance call the help line. (maybe they will be doing this anyway)

Marnoot is right, short of sending somebody door to door to explain it folks will get missed.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Perhaps, but folks like that'll be knocked flat no matter when the transition happens. Another year of PSAs won't be of any help.

besides, at this point, they should be pretty used to technology changes. and i'm sure if they called around they would find someone willing to explain the basics and get them set up.

[Marnoot]

Obama has now personally jumped on the "delay it!" wagon: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6627776.html

[BlueStarLizzard]

Obama has now personally jumped on the "delay it!" wagon: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6627776.html

so much for change *snort*

[Racehorse]

Well, the ability to view television is a right, after all.

Quit trying to take away my rights!

[BrokenPaw]

What they should have been doing is running a crawl periodically at the bottom of over-the-air analog TV stations, saying "If you can see this, you need a converter box".

I know that a lot of stations go out on both cable and over the air; is there a way to insert a crawl like that on only OTA broadcasts?

My SIL and MIL were all worried about the changeover, despite the fact that I kept telling them that because they had cable, they were fine; the PSAs around here were all chicken-little-OMFG-you-need-a-converter-box-and-if-you-don't-get-one-now-you'll-miss-Flipper-reruns-in-perpetuity panic-inciting nonsense.

-BP

[Brad Johnson]

I have two of the coupons, which I'll be redeeming for converters later this week.

How long have you had them?  They expire pretty quick.  A friend of mine found that out the hard way just last week.

Brad

[Firethorn]

i wonder how many people cable TV watchers, who won't need the converters, requested the coupon anyway?

Grandpa has dish, but still watches local channels.  I watch OTA channels or pre-recorded media.  I requested a coupon for him, but he ended up buying a new TV.  Don't know if he ever got the coupon.  I got a coupon, but also ended up buying a new TV.  I'm thinking about donating my old one, right along with the digital tuner so it'll be useful for some more needy family.

I did, because I was paying for it anyway out of my taxes, so they belonged to me.

Actually, the program was funded through the auction of a bit of what's currently the TV spectrum for other purposes like a new emergency net, data services, etc...

I just fully expect them to delay this, instead of just pulling the damn tooth and being done with it. We need that bandwidth for other stuff. Wide area internet would benefit a lot of people.

I'm hoping they don't.  At this point the 'problem' won't resolve itself until the change is made.  People will always procrastinate.  Worst case, toss a little more money at the coupon program from the auction proceeds.

I think there is a fair number of old folks who will be knocked flat by this transition.

Actually, if they simply listen to some of the public service ads being played, it'll tell them everything they need to know.

The other one is a spare for our kids when they leave the nest, and cannot afford cable or dish.

Are you planning on giving them the old TV as well?  Any bought in the last couple years should already have the digital tuner in it, even if it's only standard definition.

What they should have been doing is running a crawl periodically at the bottom of over-the-air analog TV stations, saying "If you can see this, you need a converter box".

They've kinda been doing that in my area.  Gets a little annoying at times as I AM digital capable - the local FOX station doesn't transmit in digital yet so I watch what I can get.

[Tallpine]

I had a grandfather, born back in ought-eight, who was electrically competant enough back in the 60s to wire his TV to an antenna three hundred yards away across a canyon, illegally.  Yet when we got him a simple portable radio-cassette player when he was in his 80s, he was dumbfounded by the fact that there was no "off" switch. 

I'm still trying to figure out how to rewind a DVD 

[Scout26]

maybe the thing to do is after the transition for a set time all previous stations broadcast just a message stating we have converted to digital, if you need assistance call the help line. (maybe they will be doing this anyway)

The local Chicago stations did this about 2 months ago, several times during the day.  Depending on your TV, it either said "You're Digital ready and need to do nothing"  (The TV upstairs)  OR "You need to get a converter" (TV in the basement that the kids use for video games).

Try to make something idiot proof and along come better idiots.

[roo_ster]

Meh.  Do the transition already.

Analog TV is in the garage gathering dust.  Didn't like the effect on the kiddos, who zombied out in front of it.  Now, they read or look through books (2 & 4 YO).

If we buy another, it will be a monster HD (monster defined as 40" or bigger LCD) and mount it from the ceiling.  The remotes will be treated like the nuclear football and the kiddos like Rooskies.  I'm thinking velocroed on to the side of the HD.