NEWS: Rabbit ears get reprieve with digital TV delay
- From: Sandy A. Nicolaysen <sandynic@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:29:01 GMT
Rabbit ears get reprieve with digital TV delay
Story Highlights
NEW: Congress voted Wednesday to postpone a nationwide switch to
digital TV
NEW: The switch from analog had been set for February 17; it'll now be
June 12
Millions of people have been unprepared to make the switch
Bill will allow TV stations to keep analog transmitters plugged in
until summer
(CNN) -- American TV viewers have four extra months to get ready for
the day their local stations shut down their analog transmitters,
thanks to a delay in the digital TV transition approved by Congress
Wednesday.
The House, by a vote of 264 to 158, passed a Senate bill that would
reset the death of analog TV to June 12, a measure President Barack
Obama is expected to sign.
An estimated 6.5 million homes -- including many elderly, poor and
disabled Americans -- would lose TV service after February 17 without
the delay, supporters argued.
People who pay for cable or satellite TV service will be unaffected by
the change.
The delay was opposed by Republicans who said the government has
already given people years to prepare for the switch to digital TV.
"If you don't know this date is coming up, you're probably not
watching television," said Rep. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican. "And
if you're not watching television, you probably won't know on February
18 whether it occurred or not."
The Commerce Department ran out of money last month for its program to
help people pay for converter boxes needed to make older TVs receive
the new digital signals. There are 3.7 million homes on the waiting
list for the $40 coupons, said Rep. Rick Boucher, a Virginia Democrat.
"It's clear that the only way to avoid a massive disruption affecting
5.7 percent of the TV viewing public is to delay the transition and
provide the funding to assure that, when it occurs, it occurs
smoothly," he said.
Federal Communication Commission acting Chairman Michael Copps said
the delay gives the government "an opportunity to do it better."
"The additional four months provided by the law affords urgently
needed time for a more phased transition, including a
consumer-friendly converter box coupon program, stepped-up consumer
outreach and support -- particularly for vulnerable populations -- and
dealing with coverage, antenna and reception issues that went too long
unaddressed," Copps said.
He had sent a letter to Congress last month "to express our deep
concern" that the FCC was "nowhere near" ready for the deadline "to
pull the plug on television service in millions of American homes."
The Federal government raked in $20 billion by selling licenses for
the frequencies being vacated by local television stations for other
commercial uses.
Some of the frequencies were also reserved for emergency agencies to
use for communications.
Republicans said the delay would prevent some emergency agencies from
using their new communications systems.
Rep. Anthony Weiner, a Democrat from New York, said having a working
TV is also important for the safety of those with older sets.
"They are going to lose the most important connection to the outside
world and emergency response -- the television," he said.
Opponents noted the new date for the end of analog TV will come just
as the hurricane season begins. Forcing conversion in February would
be safer, they said.
All local stations will eventually pull the plug on the analog
transmitters they've used since the invention of television. The
stations have begun digital broadcasts over the past several years.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/04/digital.tv.delay.vote/index.html
.
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