The owners of over 100 television stations that had planned to go ahead with the switch to digital broadcast next week were told by the Federal Communications Commission they can’t do so just yet unless they can show that consumers in their viewing areas will not be left in the dark.

Despite the digital TV transition deadline being delayed until June 12, some 500 television stations across the country decided to stick to the initial plan and make the switch next week, on February 17, as previously established.  They include Fox, CBS and ABC affiliates in San Diego; NBC, ABC, CBS and Telemundo affiliates in Santa Barbara; and KJLA and KHIZ, independent stations in Los Angeles.

However, citing worry that consumers in certain areas might be shut down completely, the FCC said late Wednesday that 123 TV stations in or near Santa Barbara and Bakersfield, Calif., Dayton, Ohio; Eugene, Ore.; La Crosse and Madison, Wis.; Billings, Mon.; Lincoln, Neb.; Sioux City, Iowa; Topeka and Wichita, Kan.; Waco, Texas; Mobile, Ala.; Pensacola, Fla.; and Providence, R.I., will have to submit a detailed report on why they refuse to extend their transmissions for four months.

For example, the TV stations need to reassure the FCC that at least one analog signal is still on the air in their market. They have to maintain some sort of analog signal for 30 days after they switch in order to air information about the transition and emergency alerts.

Meanwhile, consumers who need converter boxes to receive the new signals could face holdups in getting them. And even once they have them, they may face setup issues.

For people who don’t have satellite television, cable or an HDTV with a built in HD receiver, a set-top box will be required to get the new digital signal.

In trying to help the transition go smoothly, the government set up a program that allows every household two $40 coupons that would drop the final converter box price to about $20 each but the coupons came with a 90-day time limit.

New coupons can’t be issued until existing ones are used or expired. Through January, more than 14 million of the 47 million mailed coupons had expired, tying up millions of dollars in useless plastic rebates.