Obama urges Congress to postpone DTV transition
President-elect Barack Obama's transition team on Thursday asked Congress to consider postponing the upcoming national switch to digital television, warning that more congressional action is needed to address potential problems.
In a letter sent to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, transition co-chair John Podesta called funding in support of the switch "woefully inadequate," The Washington Post reported.
The letter comes on the heels of news that the $1.3 billion fund to provide citizens with $40 coupons for digital converter boxes has run dry, and more than 100,000 consumers already sit on a waiting list for the coupons. For months, officials have said the digital transition, scheduled for February 17, is likely to be fraught with problems.
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a senior member of the House Telecommunications and the Internet subcommittee, said it was worth considering pushing back the date.
"The prospect of leaving millions of consumers in the dark requires Congress to immediately consider the feasibility of the President-elect's proposal," in spite of significant logistical challenges, he said.
He also said Congress should immediately pass legislation to make more coupons available.
Other members of Congress came out in support of adding emergency funds to the federal program, including Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.), ranking member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. However, Hutchison said it would be unwise at this point to set back the date of the transition.
"Shifting the date this close to the transition without a sound plan to share information about the new transition date will likely result in significant confusion," she said.
Stephanie Condon is a staff writer for CNET News focused on the intersection of technology and politics. She is based in Washington, D.C. E-mail Stephanie. 
Basically, what Obama is asking for is a delay for these procrastinators who waited until the very last minute before applying for these coupons. I received my coupon in March 2008. I say to heck with them! Let the people lose their TV signal and have them call the FCC for technical assistance. And, the box is only $40 or so.
FYI, Hawaii (where I live) is getting cut over to DTV January 15 - one month earlier than the mainland.
What they've noticed, quite correctly, is that after 3 years of warnings, there are old people that never noticed or paid attention or did anything about the announcement that they needed a converter box.
They noticed, that people who could easily afford their own $40 converter box, who had satellite or cable, or a built in digital tuner, and didn't even need the box,...nevertheless flooded the system with requests for converter boxes, because....no suprise here, they are free. Might as well pick one up to add some retail value to that old tube tv that you plan to get rid of, someday.
But none of these things are going to change. in 2011, Granny still won't prepare for this change, and will be caught by surprise.
They way you help Granny is let her tv go dark, and then she'll ask somebody about it, and they'll say...oh granny, you need a converter box, let me help you with that.
If you want to make the transition happen, then start the transition.
Anyhow, at first glance, I too wanted to say "Screw them, proceed with the change over date" ... but upon further consideration, I would think it wise to push back the date until all the bases are covered. Basically my reasons for this is that the TV isn't only for grandpa to watch the Waltons or your 10 year old to watch South Park, but a major means of communication in the event of disaster via the Emergency Broadcast System. Sure there's the radio, but do you listen to the radio while watching TV? I only do that when I'm reading ;-)
This will help Obama in 2012 so he won't have many angry voters remembering how they lost television during his term.
We have shut down our analog transmitter for tests and have only had 3 people during the 2 days it was off to call and say they could not pick us up. Now it's possible there were others who just said the hell with it, went to one of the other local stations OTA or turned off their TV and went and did something else. But we seem to be leaning more towards most people who watch TV have cable or satellite and a very select few still pick up TV over the air. Not to sound rude here, but in most cases the people who still pick up TV OTA are old people and people in very rural areas. I'm not sure if an 80 yr old grannie living way on the outskirts is even going to know how to hook up a digital converter box.
I'm hoping we stick to the Feb deadline so we can officially retire our 40 yr old analog transmitter that eats power like Rosie O'Donnell eats doughnuts.
If $1.3 billion has run dry, one has to ask where all that money went. I think maybe an audit is indicated here.
Either the amount of cash required was way underestimated, or this cash ended up somewhere it shouldn't have.
This country's digital conversion date is not chiseled in stone. For substantial numbers of TVs to blink out throough unintelligent and inflexible government policy is what you GOP bozos claim you love to hate about bureaucracy. But what you really dislike is when-- in contrast to the eight years of Bush-- a new federal administration begins to speak and act intelligently and with bold leadership.
"Know-it-all meddling"? Where were you when Bush indulged in his famously fraudulent "know-it-all meddling" about mushroom clouds, WMDs and threats to national security-- when in fact he had little solid basis for his claims?
Seriously, I don't dissagree with either side. A delay is prudent but there's nothing like getting the cart rolling with a little push. I truly don't believe a few days without television is going to kill anyone. If they realy want their television back all they have to do is ask for help (we're talking bout the elderly now as I realy don't care about the rest of the population who may be simply to lazy to get it done in advance).
Also isn't it time you guys move to the metric system like the rest of the world??
I guess this is what you get when you have your government trying to control business behavior for their desired outcome- more tax money wasted than ever.
As for moving to the metric system, youvgoddabekiddinmeh! For people like me who's business is all about measurements (i.e. architects & engineers) it'd be almost unthinkable to have to deal with code changes and restructuring drawings and design methods.
Until we're the last one standing in the use of ye Olde English system, I doubt the industry will change over. It's too expensive for our firms and it's too expensive for regulators.
Get with the rest of the world. Sure, lets keep the USA in the dark ages to appease a couple of million people in the US who are too old to realize that the metric system works way better than that old English system ever did. After all, the OTHER 6 BILLiON people in the world can't possibly be right.
That's one of the things we have been discussing at work is how many people are getting these coupons who really do not need them, while others are on a waiting list who really do need them.
Look the government advertised the program and said there was a deadline. The deadline passed, coupons expired. Too bad...not the first time that a "first come, first served" item has run out.
except I personally know people who have used their vouchers to get the DTV converter boxes and they don't even watch TV OTA. They had this fear that when Feb hit they wouldn't be able to watch TV on 'non flatpanel' TVs. I think there is a lot of confusion with the public as to what is analog and digital and they do not really understand that if they are on cable or satellite there is no need for a box.
The only reason I even have one is for testing purposes and to periodically check our station's signal in both analog and digital. If it wasn't job related, I would not have even bothered since I already have cable along with an HD package.
And if the numer is significant, then wouldn't this scheduled switch drive some sales to the telecom industry as people are moved to these technologies? Is it really a crisis that some segment may be without tv for a little while?
There are lots of great things on cable... Sci Fi, Comedy Central, Discovery Science, Sundance, Independent Film Channel, Animal Planet, Cartoon Network, HDNet, Military Channel, G4, all the cable news networks, BBC America. There's plenty of great content out there that is definitely worth paying for. What would be nice is to pay only for the channels you want instead of these huge packages. The biggest part of my cable bill is internet... maybe you don't think that's worth paying for either.
What is ridiculous is the 90 day expiration and the non-reissuance. I myself had 2 coupons that expired before the date printed on them and now they won't be reissued! ***oles.
And why WHY!!!! are so many using rabbit ears???? you cant take it with you people get Basic cable or SAT then you will not need a box ....
Being brtual - there will always be people with not enough money for something - even it is was $5.
Do the hand over and findout what the real size of the problem is.
Also, once the real demand for the boxes kicks in they will get a lot cheaper. - with the current rate of exchange you can get a cheap digital box in the UK for about $25.
I'm in the UK and the switch off of analog is being phased in over the next3 years.
I have used terrestrial digital for about 3 years and it is great.
Proper upgrade even for StandardDef content.
Love the 8 day program guide and with a PVR the ability to retire the video recorder. Less boxes under the TV, less power needed, more functionality and wife likes the fact that there is one less remote to wrry about.
On the voucher scheme.
Did people have to be on welfare to qualify or was it open to all?
If no how many of the vouchers are being given to people who could have afforded to buy the box, but were smart enough to take the hand out?
Is a one time payment of $40 too much to ask for this?
I'm originally Irish and they have just decided not to do terresrial digital, I expect they'll just piggy back on the new FreeSAT service from the UK. I think this is just handing the market over to the cable and paid satelitte (Sky) companies. Momentum is behind a move to digital and if there isn't a free terrestrial option then people will just go for the paid version.
- by bsarte January 9, 2009 5:53 AM PST
- All I have to say is... REALLY?
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- by ariess63 January 9, 2009 7:11 AM PST
- Why should *I* as a taxpayer have to buy a new TV or pay $30 for basic cable so that I can have what I had for years for free. I have also gone without TV and have lived through it. But now I live near a major city and can get it for free. But I do have to pay extra tax for huge sports arenas. And yes, even "us po folk" pay taxes.
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- by bsarte January 9, 2009 1:59 PM PST
- Because watching TV is NOT A RIGHT. If you can afford to watch TV then God Bless. If not, then too bad.
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- by ariess63 January 10, 2009 6:52 AM PST
- I think they should go ahead with the change over, I'm not saying we shouldn't. But you just don't seem get it. We are being forced to do this. And for many people this is the only way to get any emergency information (natural disasters ect.). You can no longer get this information from your radio since there are very few locally owned radio stations left in this country. It is true though that none of us has the RIGHT to be able to watch TV. But I think this is a far better thing for the government to susidize than like banks, big oil, ect., ect. I do think the change should go ahead though.I can hardly wait until they tell us we have to change the kind of car we drive. I mean driving is not a right, right?
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- by ralfthedog January 12, 2009 9:03 AM PST
- Not having a TV is a good way to get yourself killed where I live. A nearby small city was effectively destroyed twice within just a few years by natural disasters. Drive less than 10 miles and you will reach the site of a large terrorist attack where many Americans died.
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (71 Comments)When did television become something that every America has a right to? When did *I* as a taxpayer agree to fund a Digital Television Upgrade fund?
Television is a privilege, not a right. If you cannot afford to watch television then I am sorry, don't. If your TV is too old -- I have this feeling that you probably still have your VCR from 1988, so watch some VHS movies until you can save the $40 to buy the box to convert the signal. Being without television is not the end of the world. I've been there and come out alive... and you can too... Read a book.
And furthermore, is this really SO important that our President-Elect should even be considering taking any action at all? I am very pleased that the time it took for him to write that letter was not on my dime. But once he is sworn in, I am sure he will be wasting my money writing more silly letter about things as earth shattering as iTunes DRM prices and Microsoft Zune reboot glitches...
It will be a great day in America when the government stops worrying about the minutia of how we watch television and actually focuses on the issues that people voted for like healthcare, war and unemployment.
Having a weather radio and listening for the sirens is a good start, but the weather radio will only tell you when you should turn on the TV and you should be in your basement before the sirens go off.