Good news for the TV consumers is that they will have enough time to prepare for the switch to digital television due to the Senate’s decision from last night to delay the switch for four months.

The broadcasters were supposed to stop airing the analog broadcasts on February 17 and the consumers who have an analog television would need a converter box as to be able to watch TV and get the digital signals. In addition, the consumers who have digital televisions, cable or receive their signals through cable won’t lose their programming.

The Congress has been long urged by President Obama to reschedule the switch due to so many consumers who haven’t had the converter boxes yet. Last week, according to Nielsen Co, more than 6.5 million households in the United States weren’t ready for the switch and could not receive any kind of signals starting next month.

Maybe the delay hadn’t been the wisest decision because this might confuse the consumers even more and create extra costs for the broadcasters who have made preparations for the switch to take place next month. Besides the digital television also the wireless signal were scheduled to be released. For now, the wireless companies and the public safety agencies are waiting for the airwaves to be freed.

Still, there are no certain details about the House passing the Senate version of the bill because this bill doesn’t contain information on how will the extra costs of the delay be covered. But Sen. John D. Rockefeller, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, plead for the House to pass the bill through which the transition is delayed until June 12.