By Martin H. Bosworth
ConsumerAffairs.Com
February 4, 2009
The House of Representatives, after a botched first attempt, successfully voted 264-158 today to delay the date of the digital television transition from the original date of February 17 to June 12. The Senate has already passed companion legislation, and President Obama is expected to sign it promptly.
At issue is the digital converter box coupon program, which was set up to provide vouchers for families with analog television sets to buy set-top boxes that receive digital signals. The coupon program, already criticized for not providing replacements for expired coupons, has run out of funding, stranding thousands of families on a wait list for coupons.
" There are 3.7 million requests for converter box coupons pending at the Department of Commerce, and since January 4, the converter box program has been out of money," said Con gressman Rick Boucher (D-VA), chairman of the House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet. "These requests, therefore, cannot be honored. And the waiting line for coupons is rapidly growing."
On Friday of last week, the number of requests was 3.3 million. Over the weekend it grew to 3.7 million," Boucher said. "We can expect more large increases in the number of requests in the coming weeks."
Congressional Democrats called for a delay in the transition due to what they called the Bush administration's mismanagement of the program, as well as confusing and sometimes contradictory consumer outreach that led many TV watchers to buy equipment they didn't need, or to not buy converter boxes at all.
An additional $650 million for funding and educational efforts for the transition is included in the multibillion-dollar economic stimulus package currently under debate in the Senate.
Tug of war
The attempts to delay the DTV transition have become a topic of hot debate both in the halls of Washington and technology circles, due to both the underlying technical issues and the many players in the game.
The broadcast spectrum used to deliver analog television signals has already been sold to telecom giants AT&T; and Verizon in a controversial auction last year. The spectrum would, in theory, be used for more wireless mobile devices, as well as a public safety first-responders network.
Critics of the delay say that it will hamper efforts by companies to develop new technologies that can harness the available spectrum, such as devices that use the "white spaces" between the new digital television signals. The longer the signals are not active, critics say, the longer it will take to test white spaces-capable devices.
Supporters of the delay say that the DTV transition will disproportionately affect minority, low-income, and elderly families, who may lose access to news and emergency information when their televisions go dark without more assistance.
The weak economy also played a role in the delay, as many families are cutting cable and satellite television and returning to traditional "over the air" broadcasts — meaning they will need converter boxes to continue receiving transmissions.
