Hold on to your Digital Converter Boxes!
By Tracy | January 27, 2009
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*****Editor’s Update 1/30/09*****
And the digital TV conversion saga continues. On Wednesday (Jan. 28), the House defeated the bill to delay the big switch. But the Associated Press states that the “battle over a delay may not be over, with some predicting the House will take up the measure again next week.” If you’re hungry for a complete update on the situation, check out the above referenced article.
(Original Post)
The Big Buzz in the TV world is that, come February 17th, all full-power broadcast stations in the United States are to stop transmitting on analog airwaves and begin broadcasting in digital only.
www.dtv2009.gov
However, Senate voted yesterday, January 26th, to delay the big switch for nearly four months. The new deadline: June 12th.
So why the big delay? The answer, Digital Converter Boxes, or the lack there of. For awhile you couldn’t find them anywhere (not even in a back alley of New York). To multiply the problem, many of the government issued coupons expired while the consumer waited on more converter boxes to arrive. So now the consumers are yet again requesting coupons. Currently there are about 2.5 million Americans waiting on government issued coupons ($40) to offset the cost of converter boxes. The government ran out of them in early January.
Is the government to blame? Not necessarily. West Virginia Senate Commerce Chairman John Rockefeller said delaying the digital switch was the right thing to do because the United States was not ready to make the transition yet. Rockefeller also said:
- Senator Rockefeller
“The Senate acted responsibly to give the Obama administration time to attempt to bring order to a mismanaged process.”
My big question, why did the government put such a short expiration date on the coupon in the first place (90-day redemption window)? Their reason: to encourage the consumer to use their coupon promptly (must have been part of their economic stimulus program). Hindsight is 20/20, though. They should have used X-Box or Sony Playstation as a supply and demand example. How long were stores’ shelves empty of these high demand electronics?
The FCC is prepared to help with the digital transition by giving away coupons towards the purchase of Digital Converter Boxes. You can get more information on the FCC’s Converter Box Program here. So if your coupon expired, or you forgot to request one in the first place, you still have time… again.
About the authorTracy is another fine example of the public school system. Currently, Tracy is the Big Cheese for the AV Department at BBM Studios. Loves AVID Tolerates FCP. You can find him on Linkedin, IndieProducer, and the wall at the Post Office.
