New President wants to delay the Feb. 17 transition to digital broadcasting

[jw]

No Political overtures please, just stating a news report for discussion about pending transition


Link

CEA Calls For No Change In Transition Date

By Ted Hearn - Multichannel News -- TWICE, 1/8/2009 3:59:00 PM

Washington—President-elect Barack Obama wants to delay the Feb. 17 transition to digital broadcasting, claiming the country, particularly the poor and elderly, are not prepared for the cutoff of analog TV signals so soon after he takes office on Jan. 20.

CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro said in a statement from the International CES in Las Vegas, that the CEA supports keeping the original transition date.

If the goal is to avoid consumer confusion, keeping the February 17 transition date that is engrained in consumer minds is the best solution. Above all, CEA is committed to working closely with the new Administration to support all of their efforts to ensure the smoothest possible DTV transition for U.S. consumers," Shapiro said.
Obama's call for delay came in a letter Thursday from the co-chairman of his transition team, John Podesta, to the bipartisan leadership of the Commerce Committee's in the House and Senate.

Podesta didn't say how long the delay should last.

The CEA statement said it believes converter boxes are available in sufficient numbers and consumers are well aware of the impending changeover. Any concerns about the coupon program should be addressed by Congress so the coupons are not held up due to funding issues.

"Should Congress find it necessary, they can put more coupons into circulation, a much better solution than causing massive consumer confusion and uncertainty," Shapiro said.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.), who last month was named the new chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, was among the first to support Obama’s recommendation to postpone the DTV transition deadline.
“I’ve long believed that there is too much at stake for consumers and for public safety to simply cross our fingers and hope for the best when it comes to the digital television transition,” he said in a statement. “Millions of Americans could be left in the dark if this doesn’t go smoothly.”
Those in favor of keeping the Feb. 17 deadline intact were quick to respond.

“President-elect Obama’s call to move back the digital television transition date highlights the vulnerability of millions of Americans to the impending analog signal shut-off,” he said. “It also underscores the need for prompt Congressional examination of his proposal.”
“Moving the transition date entails significant logistical challenges,” he added. “However, the prospect of leaving millions of consumers in the dark requires Congress to immediately consider the feasibility of the President-elect’s proposal.”
President Bush signed the law in February 2006 to make Feb. 17, 2009 the cutoff date of analog TV signals nationally.

I agree, its been in place for 3 years and thats plenty of time to get a plan together. It sounds like the DTV program needs one of them federal bailout programs

Podesta argued that the $1.34 billion, digital-to-analog converter box coupon program run by the U.S. Commerce Department can't issue any new coupons. That, he said, has produced a waiting list for 1 million $40 coupons. He also complained there was insufficient financial support for programs designed to help rural, poor and elderly to prepare for digital TV service.

According to Nielsen Co., December data shows that approximately 7.8 million households, or 6.8% of total U.S. television homes, are completely unprepared, meaning that no TV set would be able to receive a signal unless some change is made.
“In light of recent calls for the delay of the transition to all-digital broadcast, we wanted to remind you that Nielsen has comprehensive numbers on how well prepared U.S. TV households are,” the media research firm said in a statement, adding that it has been providing updates for both the nation as a whole and each of 56 local markets with metered measurement throughout the past year.

Its most likely only to affect rural customers who rely heavily on antennas, anyone using cable or satellite have nothing to worry about