[excon]

So the effect of this is not widepsread.

Hello Scott:

I agree, but where the effect WILL be the greatest is among the poor and the disaffected. Do we OWE them TV? I don't know.

excon

[ScottGem]

someone told me that it was because the tv signal was needed for the military bases, but i'm not sure if that's the reason. it doesn't seem plausible to me. i don't even watch TV. my parents won't get cable so i have an antena with a super old tv, but i got a converter box. i'm probably the only person in the country with an antena! lol. if you don't have an old tv, you don't need to worry about it. the switch over was delayed to another month or two. it was supposed to happen this month. oh well. :)

We pride ourselves on the accuracy of the advice we give here. Please don't answer question that you really don't know much about. If you read what I posted (#12), you will see that the FCC does want to use the frequencies currently used by analog TV for other purposes that may include military applications.

And the conversion date was set back to June 12, not "A month or two".

Finally, you are not the only one still using an antenna, but you are in the minority.

[XOXOlove]

You can order a $40 off coupon somewhere on the internet for the converter box. My sister got one. It looks like a gift card.

[Lowtax4eva]

The fact is that analog TV is using up a large portion of the useable bandwidth, DTV will use less and the un-used frequencies can be used for just about anything. I've heard that cell phone companies want to offer full TV shows that would play on your cell phone, the military of course wants it for who knows what and I'm sure other things too.

Also broadcasting a TV station in a digital format uses less power so the TV stations are only too happy to do the switch and save some money.

Why force people to switch? Cause if not some people never will and the switch will never happen

[tomder55]

I got this email from my Congressman . Obviously it is an issue that really concerns him and he has made the conversion to digital one of his top priorities. (that alone may be a telling commentary in these days )

Here is the email :

Dear Friends,
Due to the backlog of outstanding coupons and the potential for a very difficult transition, I voted to delay the Digitial Television (DTV) transition until June 12, and the full House of Representatives passed the measure 264-158 as a result. The bill had already passed the Senate and has the support of President Obama.
In recent weeks it has become clear that what I have been saying for years is true—we have not provided nearly enough resources or education for the digital television transition to be successful. For the past two Congresses, I have introduced the Digital Television Consumer Education Act. This legislation, if enacted, would have avoided the problems we are experiencing right now. It would have educated the public about the transition, and it would provide additional funding for the converter box coupon program, which is out of money.

This is one of those rare times when you don't want to be correct. However, the alternative to authorizing this delay would be to have thousands of people turn on their televisions on February 17 and find nothing but static.

The DTV transition will result in television broadcasters ceasing analog broadcasting and only transmitting in digital. Anyone relying on over-the-air broadcasts will need a converter box to receive and convert digital television signals in order for their analog television sets to continue to work.
In our district, at the time of the vote there were 4,271 consumers who have requested coupons for converter boxes but did not get them because the money to pay for them ran out. This number was growing daily as 18,000 New Yorkers statewide, and 435 in the district were added between January 30 and February 2. This backlog disproportionately impacts low-income people as well as the elderly and those who reside in rural areas. If you currently have cable television or a satellite provider, the transition will not affect your television.

The Nielsen Company estimates that there are 6.5 million households (6 percent) that would have lost all television reception if the February deadline was not altered. In January, the United States Department of Commerce announced the program was out of funding and were putting consumers on a waiting list for coupons. Additional money for the coupons has been included in The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 .

This new legislation will take the following steps to mitigate the impact on consumers created by the transition:

• Delaying the transition by 115 days and extending the license terms of the commercial and public safety entities that will use the DTV spectrum after the transition by a corresponding number of days;
• Permitting consumers who never redeemed coupons to reapply for replacement coupons, provided that no household can redeem more than two coupons;
• Expressly preserving the ability of broadcasters to transition before the new transition date, if such a move does not interfere with another broadcast signal. The Act makes clear that the existing FCC rules and regulations concerning interference and consumer education will continue to apply;
• Expressly preserving the ability of public safety entities to use the DTV spectrum before the new transition date, subject to existing FCC rules.

The coupon program was designed to help those in the most need to afford the converter boxes and not be inconvenienced by this necessary transition. It would have been unacceptable to proceed with the transition and leave over a million people literally in the dark.

For further information on the DTV process, and to determine if you need a converter box, visit the transition website at www.dtv2009.gov.