President Obama Signs DTV Delay Act

Obama Signs DTV Delay Act as Many Stations Plan to Ignore It

President Barack Obama signed legislation Wednesday to delay the U.S.’s mandatory switch to digital-only television on June 12 even as hundreds of television stations across the country finalized plans to shut off analog broadcasts on Tuesday, Feb. 17, anyway.

“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,” Obama said in a prepared statement. The legislation set a mandatory transition date but also allowed stations to switch off analog signals before then.

Next week, consumers who aren’t ready for the digital switch may simply have to fork over $50 to $80 for a set-top converter box that allows older TV sets to pick up digital signals. A government coupon program designed to help cover the cost of the boxes is low on money and there are almost four million requests for coupons on a waiting list. There may also soon be a shortage of set-top boxes in some communities, since the government underestimated demand.

A vast majority of Americans are already prepared for the digital switch because they subscribe to cable or satellite television services. Millions of Americans who rely on free TV are also ready because they’ve already installed the converter boxes. Nielsen Co. recently estimated about six million households nationally aren’t ready yet.

Source: Wall Street Journal 2/11/09

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