• Home Delivery
• Customer Services
• Contact Us

Print | Email |

FCC commissioner: U.S. is not ready for digital TV transition next month

Rep. Rick Boucher address a town hall meeting Tuesday at Bristol, Va., City Hall on the upcoming digital television (DTV) transition. David Grace photo.

 

BRISTOL, Va. — Come Feb. 17, people want their D-TV. Digital television, that is. However, a top-ranking official from the Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday snowy pictures and disgruntled watchers could be the true reality next month.

U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., and FCC Commissioner Michael Copps held a town hall meeting at Bristol Virginia City Hall to thresh out concerns from citizens about the upcoming switch to digital broadcasting that over-the-air TV stations will make about a month from now, abandoning the analog transmission they used since television’s advent.

“This country is not ready,” said Copps, noting that coupons are in short supply, at least 1 million people are on the waiting list for the discount, and public safety responders such as police and fire departments ready to take use of abandoned analog transmission channels could be put at risk.

Last Thursday, President-elect Barack Obama called on former congressional colleagues to delay the transition because federal funding that allows consumers to receive discount coupons for digital converter boxes has run out, and troubleshooting help from the government to TV watchers will not meet the volume of calls expected.

Boucher said in his remarks that the Bush administration ignored calls from his office and other congressional leaders to either allocate more funding to the $1.3 billion already spent for the discounts or delay the transition date.

“Events have shown that we were right, and (the Bush administration) was wrong, but that doesn’t help us today,” said Boucher.

“We don’t have much time to act, so we have three options to go forth with. One is changing the accounting rules to allow new coupons to be issued. Providing more appropriations (for the converter box program), which I think Congress will have to include as part of the economic stimulus package being proposed.

“Possibly, the delaying the date of the transition is another option so that there is time for money to be allocated and people who need a coupon can get one. More funding would also allow us to staff call centers to help people with questions about this transition.”

The Nielsen Company, which measures television viewing for the majority of major U.S. markets, says 7 percent of homes around the country are not ready for the analog-to-digital transition on Feb. 17.

According to the Arbitron ratings system, another company that surveys TV watchers, the Tri-Cities region of Tennessee and Virginia is the 92nd-largest television-viewing market in the United States with 332,840 households that watch television at some point during the day, according to their 2008-2009 data booklet.

Saying that the government “did drop the ball” and is “not as organized” as it should be for this forthcoming transformation for the TV viewing public, Copps said companies that make the converter boxes are signaling a shortage of components to make the boxes, plus the current supply of boxes already in stores will not meet the demand that consumers could push for in the next 35 days.

“How can you ask citizens of the country to go through all of these hoops and at the end of the day you don’t have a converter box to give them?” asked Copps.

“This isn’t just a matter of people not being able to get (to watch) their favorite soap opera or their favorite reality show. It could be a matter of real public safety. … This could harm the security of the people.”

Copps defended the switch to all-digital television, meaning a better quality picture, more over-the-air channels for viewers, and an opportunity for local stations to provide more local programming.

“We have experienced in this country a lot of loss of localism (in television programming),” said Copps.

“A lot of our programming has become very canned, very homogenized. We’ve lost something, and that is the precious strength of programming, and that is to reflect the community that you broadcast to.”

The mountainous topography of the Northeast Tennessee/Southwest Virginia region already poses some difficulty for viewers who rely on aerial antennas for their reception of analog signals, and Boucher feels confident that many local affiliates will install digital equipment at their translator sites so that even remote corners of the viewing area can get the signal.

As for the analog system that will be dropped, not only will public safety workers have better, comprehensive signal continuity, but Boucher says cellular and Internet companies will be making the most of their $20 billion acquisition by allocating more content and more broadband power to the consumer.

TV viewers who want digital TV on Feb. 17 and who currently do not have a converter box or have not received their discount coupon have only two other options at this point, according to Copps: Buy a new television with digital reception equipment built in, which is common in most TVs built after 2003, or subscribe to a pay-TV service such as cable or satellite.

Consumers with questions about the digital transition for television are urged to visit either www.dtv2009.gov or www.dtv.gov or call 1-888-DTV-2009 or 1-888-CALL-FCC.

Discuss This Story

Be the first to comment: Sign In or Create Profile .

Enter Username Enter Password

Hey, don't be so judgmental about those of us aren't ready for the switch. In our case, the cat knocked over our digital TV less than a month ago and broke the screen...can't afford cable right now, so we (me + roommates) are currently stuck with an analog. I'm not suggesting they delay the switch over people not having the equipment, but I've found the digital freezes all the time still. I really wish they'd work on that before making the switch.

Boris Late | 1/14/2009 - 3:41 AM - (Suggest Removal )

Well I guess I have to get one of them boxes some time soon.

Even if you don't have a coupon though you can still buy one without a coupon.

Or buy a TV or DVD player with a decoder.

It's a bit of hyperbole to say it's a public safety matter.

Jeremiah Jones | 1/14/2009 - 1:25 AM - (Suggest Removal )

If 7 percent of national households are not ready to switch to digital, that means 93 percent ARE. So why delay the switchover?

christina jones | 1/14/2009 - 12:33 AM - (Suggest Removal )

Stay with the switch. There are always some that don't follow the rules and they should not be given special treatment. I have friends that have had their box for at least 8 months because they were told it was coming and they prepared. For those that do loose the signal, I bet they want be without it for long.

john davis | 1/14/2009 - 12:17 AM - (Suggest Removal )

Every one was told of the pending switch and the deadline 4 to 5 years ago. Now procrastinators are whining and crying. If you would have saved $1 a month since they announced the switch that would be $60 more that would more than enough for a new converter.

Chuck Riley | 1/13/2009 - 8:46 PM - (Suggest Removal )

Home | Login | Local News | Obits | Sports | Business | Opinions | Blogs | Classifieds| Business Profiles

Web Feeds/RSS | Contact Us | Customer Service | Privacy Statement | Common Questions | E-Edition | Subscriptions | Site Map

© 2009 Kingsport Publishing Corporation - Innovation by Times Digital Group