 |
|
|
Less than two weeks before the expected end of analog broadcasting the House of Representatives voted 264-158 to push back the 17th of February deadline to the 12th of June. Consumers who rely on antennas to receive over-the-air broadcast signals will need to obtain a set-top converter that will receive the digital signal and convert it to analog and now it appears that they have four extra months to do so. The decision, strongly supported by president-elect Barack Obama, gives approximately 6.5 million unprepared households more time to get ready for the transition. Surveys show that nearly every TV viewer is aware of the switch, and is preparing for it with analog sets that will need to be connected to cable, satellite TV or a $40 to $70 converter box that can tune in digital signals.
The Obama transition team representatives said that the subsidy program for converter boxes ran out of money but the Congress seems to have a solution to the problem, so that Washington gains enough time to resume mailing coupons, giving recipients a few weeks to use them before the scheduled switch. The converters vary in price and can be purchased online or through retailers such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart among others.
The bill passed by the House on Wednesday does not include new money for a federal program that provides viewers with $40 coupons toward a converter box. The program has dispensed its total of $1.34 billion worth of coupons and is waiting for other unused ones useable for 90 days. The coupons waiting list gathered 3.5 million requests at the moment, especially since the legislation allows consumers to reapply for a coupon in case their vouchers have expired.
Those who did not support the idea of delaying the transition say that this decision will only add more confusion on the matter.
It seems that people are not aware of the fact that the delay does not mean every station will continue to broadcast in analog. Broadcasters will be permitted to shut off their analog transmission before the 12th of June, creating a potential uneven transition for analog viewers. But whether they lose some channels or not depends strictly on what local stations decide to let go of the analog transmission.
Starting next week, about 40 percent of the U.S. hundreds of TV stations will make the big switch to digital signals in spite of the delays. From nearly 1,800 television broadcast stations, 681 will give up on older, analog signals by next week.
Fortunately, those who feel prepared for the transition before June, when the delay was established, have the possibility to take over the digital signal on the original date, which means next Tuesday.
© 2007 - 2009 - eFluxMedia
