The Senate unanimously voted, again, on Thursday night, to postpone the transition date from the 17^th of February until the 12^th of June.

 

The bill approved last night by the Senate is essentially the same version the House tried to pass on Wednesday but with a few minor modifications from the House. The compromise bill was worked out by the Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, and Texas Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison.

 

They elaborated the bill based on the fact that consumers are confused by moving dates and the cost local broadcasters would have to endure to keep the analog equipment running for another four months.

 

An estimated 6.5 million households, mostly low-income and elderly are still not ready for the shift from analog TV to digital TV. The delay would give those millions of viewers more time to prepare for the transition. The Federal Communications Commission estimated that about 13 million coupons have not been redeemed, but the government cannot distribute more until they expire 90 days from the time they were mailed out. Consumers were able to request two coupons each, and took more than they needed.

 

President Barack Obama is in favor of the delay in the switch, therefore he has requested more than $650 million worth of coupons be allocated as part of his federal bailout plan. The waiting list includes 2.6 million people. But in spite of this move, it is expected that 4% of the population will ignore warnings about the transition until it is too late.

 

The idea of moving from analog to digital signals is to give public safety officials more spectrum, especially useful in case of emergencies, and to improve viewing quality as well.