Analog-to-Digital Television Switch Coming February 17 - Or Not

"Obama team urges delay in digital TV transition"
The Associated Press (January 8, 2009)

"WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Barack Obama is urging Congress to postpone the Feb. 17 switch from analog to digital television broadcasting, arguing that too many Americans who rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air channels won't be ready.

"In a letter to key lawmakers Thursday, Obama transition team co-chair John Podesta said the digital transition needs to be delayed largely because the Commerce Department has run out of money for coupons to subsidize digital TV converter boxes for consumers. People who don't have cable or satellite service or a TV with a digital tuner will need the converter boxes to keep their older analog sets working.

"Obama officials are also concerned the government is not doing enough to help Americans — particularly those in rural, poor or minority communities — prepare for and navigate the transition...."

So, either American television will switch to all-digital television February 17, or it won't.

I suppose we could wait until

• Everybody is prepared, with a digital converter box
• All those annoying commercials are gone
• All news anchors are beautiful women
  (We're getting closer to this goal by the year)

Not gonna happen.

Seriously: everybody ready for a change in the way television signals are transmitted and received?

The Associated Press quoted from a letter that Obama's transition team co-chair, John Podesta, wrote to the biggest cheeses on the Senate and House Commerce committees:

"With coupons unavailable, support and education insufficient, and the most vulnerable Americans exposed, I urge you to consider a change to the legislatively mandated analog cutoff date," which sounds like sound advice.

My household isn't affected: Analog broadcast reception ranges from poor to abysmal in this part of rural Minnesota (it's a matter of being between cities, and the terrain) - we've had cable for years. My guess is that most people around here who like to watch television are already hooked up to one of the cable services, or get signals through satellite networks.

But, I'm sure that there are people who have television sets, but don't know about the analog to digital switch, or don't have the money for a converter box.

An American's Right to Television Reception?

In this uncertain world, I can count on a few things, including this:

• The Senate and House Commerce committees will
  • Discuss calling for an extension of the analog-digital switch
  • Or not
• If they discuss it, they will
  • Ask Congress to pass a law extending the deadline
  • Or not
  • Or maybe ask congress to call the whole thing off
• If called to action, Congress will
  • Act
  • Or not

Why Digital Television?

The analog to digital switch does make sense. There's more data of all sorts being moved around now, than there was back in the 'good old days' (and you can have them!).

Television signals take up a lot of room, and shifting them from analog to digital transmissions will free large parts of the radio spectrum for commercial wireless services and emergency-response networks.

Which is far from the worst idea I've run across.

While We're Waiting

If you're reading this, my guess is that you're not one of "the most vulnerable Americans." But, maybe you know someone who is.

If you do, you can at least tell that person that change may be coming. And, help them get on the waiting list for one or two of those converter box coupons. Here's a URL, and a toll-free number. (They'll probably have to make the call from your place: if they're one of the "most vulnerable Americans," they probably don't have a telephone.)

TV Converter Box Coupon Program
1-888-DTV-2009
www.dtv2009.gov

It even has a countdown to the end of analog teleivision