Obama signs law delaying digital-TV transition

President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed into law the DTV Delay Act, a bill postponing the date on which television broadcasters will have to transition from analog signals to digital signals.

The legislation moves the transition deadline from February 17 to June 12. Democrats, including the administration, supported the measure out of concern for the millions of people who are not prepared for the switchover.

"During these challenging economic times, the needs of American consumers are a top priority of my administration," Obama said in a statement. "Millions of Americans, including those in our most vulnerable communities, would have been left in the dark if the conversion had gone on as planned, and this solution is an important step forward as we work to get the nation ready for digital TV."

The law, however, allows broadcasters to proceed with the changeover if they are ready, and more than a third of the nation's television stations will make the switch next week as planned. The vacated analog spectrum will be allocated to public safety services.

"Next week is not going to be pretty," Michael Copps, the acting chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said at an event in Washington on Wednesday. "There is going to be consumer dislocation and confusion next week."

He said the only thing that would have been worse than the confusion he anticipates next week would have been the fallout had the DTV Delay Act not been passed.

More than 3.7 million people are still on a waiting list to receive coupons for digital converter boxes from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, according to NTIA data from February 4. The NTIA ran through the $1.3 billion allocated for the coupons weeks ago, though a Senate panel last month approved an additional $650 million for the coupon program as part of the so-called stimulus package making its way through Congress.

"Our next few days are pretty much spoken for at the FCC," Copps said. "That's not how I would have hoped to be spending my time as acting chairman."

[Super2online]

6 milion people still haven't bought this thing. I feel for anyone that can't afford a $50 convertor. My guess is this delay is not going to help either. I guess we are in deeper crapola than you realize.

[8301]

I don't think the problem is that viewers can't afford the converter boxes. The deadline for the switch to digital broadcasting was set four years ago, and coupons have been available for almost as long. The problem is that people waited until the last second to apply for the coupons and buy the converters.

The DTV Delay Act only pushes this problem back a few months. Most of those who waited too long this time to get the converters are going to do the same in June. Maybe losing the ability to watch television would galvanize them into action.

[Vekspec]

8301 got some good pts. Esp that this deadline was set 4 years ago. It shouldnt be changed. Are u going to delay it again???

[donsms]

This is just a ploy by liberals that feel the Govt. should be buying these procastinators a new digital TV come June.Watch what happens as we get closer to June 12,instead of converter box coupons being mailed-the`ll want vouchers for new digital tv sets.

[Dalkorian]

@donsms - You just proved that you can't lick bushit's backside for years and not be full of it.

[SteveW928]

From my experience with DTV so far.... the big problem will come when many people figure out that they can't tune in a reliable DTV signal, where at least with the analog, they could watch a snowy picture. If they are in buildings where they can't install an outdoor antenna... they'll be talking $50 every month or two for cable instead of one-time $50 for the converter box. The coupons and converter boxes are the least of the problem.

[Vekspec]

I thought only 25000 ppl not 6 million. Anyways why pass the bill, majority of tv stations are either on digital only or going to switch in feb. I work at one and we are switching on the 17th. People can just buy a new tv with the tuner for a reasonable price right now. I thought from the Communications side that this bill should not have passed, it was not really necessary.

[sanenazok]

The FCC doesn't let most stations switch off on Feb. 17. They forbid it. Your station is one of the lucky ones.

[Spartan_458]

Actually, yes, they are letting a lot switch. In fact, I believe the only ones NOT switching are the ones directly owned by the big four TV networks.

[duntonrm]

sanenazok,

Where did you get the idea that the FCC won't let stations switch off analog on Feb. 17? Nothing in the DTV Delay Act or this article says this. In fact, this is from this article:

The law, however, allows broadcasters to proceed with the changeover if they are ready, and more than a third of the nation's television stations will make the switch next week as planned.

[techman21]

Coddling to the procrastinators will do no good.
Life without TV isn't such a bad thing.

[Kate1954]

What was confusing was the lack of clarity in the commercials. For a while, it sounded like if you used rabbit ears, you had to buy a new TV or the box. The commericals were not very clear in their content. I'm guessing my TV will work find, I'll just have to scan for digital channels. If not, then I'll buy a box. Look at how much money the government is spending to give $40 coupons for the change over? It's obscene. TV is a privilege, not a right. Americans should have forked out the money for the box themselves, or turned off the TV.

[DSaba10]

This might have been a good opportunity for the newspaper industry to pick up a few new folks and get a boost. We have known about this switch for a while now, I really just can't agree with this move.

[Inconnux]

There are still a lot of people who use 'rabbit ears' for TV. If they suddenly stop working and these people can't afford to get a new TV/box there are going to be a lot of pissed off voters complaining. The last thing politicians need in this economy is voters angry at them for another reason...

[martin_c_e]

The people who are not ready don't vote. The politicians are safe.

[8301]

If these people are too lazy to go to the store and buy a converter so they can continue to lay on the couch, I doubt any of them have the motivation to go to the polls, stand in line, and pull a lever (or whatever) just so they can be better represented in their government.

Apparently, though, enough of them got together to vote into office politicians that will enable their procrastination.

[Inconnux]

I would bet a large percentage of these people are elderly people who DO vote. Just because they don't understand the technical issues doesn't mean that they are lazy or that they don't vote.

[man_w_balls]

super lame move, and against majority will
Change! They all said... but it didn't happen

I guess they needed a few more months to get the mind-control signals working with the digital broadcasts.

[scrappy83]

If you are not ready by now, after six months of preparation, I question whether or not you are taking care of business. This puts people who are wanting this in a delayed mode. More people are ready for this than people who are not, and just like typical news reports, the focus is always on the "bad" and not the reality. If a survey was taken, more people would respond that they are ready. But that doesn't make news. Only the liberal view is in the news, not the reality.

[tanis143]

This was the biggest, absolute waste of time. Oh wait, its congress, that explains it. But seriously.... they debated this whole thing for how many weeks now? Just like America, they were more worried about TV than the economy. If they spent this much time on how to make more jobs America would be a better place instead of making sure that all the people out there can be lazy and watch TV.

[cptnjarhead]

tanis
The real reason Obama and the Dems delayed this is because they are worried that millions of Americans wont have access to the Obama media train. If they cant watch TV then they will listen to the radio.
That would mean millions more listening to that EVIL talk radio to get the news.
TV is the only real voice for Obama.
Good Day Comrades!

[ewalsh69]

To all those who are not prepared, I hear the local library has some cool "free" entertainment and you can do it at home on your couch. Its called books. You can read, right!?!

[Dalkorian]

They may be able to read, but after waiting for 4 years and then whining about this I doubt they can COMPREHEND. Reading comprehension is key.

[Vegaman_Dan]

All this does is delay the problem for a few months. Nothing will change between now and then to make it better or worthwhile delaying. Obama will only get blamed for needlessly delaying what the public has already said they wanted to do.

[Spartan_458]

Change we couldn't believe in.

[Dalkorian]

Are you daring to suggest that our former fuhrer bushit did better by squandering away the last 4 years? They had 4 years to figure out how to get these $40 coupons to people and guess what - they failed. Just like with everything else they touched. The only success the previous misadministration had was allowing 911 to happen - which is still a FAIL in my book!

I'm a little ticked Obama approved this myself (delay isn't going to help anyone at this point; these $40 coupons are not REQUIRED in order to buy the $50 DTV converter box), but ANYTHING is better than what we've suffered over the last 8 years.

[BtmnHatesRbn]

90% of the stations will switch on 20090217. They simply don't care. Also, working at a TV station, the FCC doesn't have as much power as is assumed. They let one of our sister channels run without a license for two years before we receive a fax about if, and in the fax, they said don't worry about it.

Also, if TV is swtiched off, you actually won't see anybody gripe. If the American people haven't griped yet (that's the 225 million that voted anything but Democrat), then they won't gripe about TV being off the air. If you have a false POV, back it up.

[mptock]

I would bet that a high percentage of those who are holding up the entire process of conversion are minorities,any betters?

[mr. closet organizers]

I am surprised there are that many people who still don't have cable or satellite TV. If you are still using an antennae, TV viewing probably isn't a high priority anyway. <a href="http://vclosets.com">mr. closets</a>

[palerider57]

Well, here we are just about 2 weeks away from DTV transition, and we the people have been socked with what can only be described as OUTRAGEOUS!. We all knew that we would need a converter box, or cable, or a new tv, but just as recently as a few weeks ago, we now learn that all tv stations will be going to UHF and we will need new antennas!. This is a load of you know what!. Will the government re-imburse us for the cost of a new antenna?, I think not. As far as I'm concerned Televsion is dead anyway, and I got plenty of dvd's to keep me entertained for the rest of my life.