Congress Votes To Delay TV Transition

Analog Signals Will Continue Until June To Give Millions Of Americans Extra Time To Prepare For Digital Conversion

(AP)  Congress voted Wednesday to give consumers four more months to prepare for the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting.

The House voted 264-158 to postpone the shutdown of analog TV signals to June 12, to address growing concerns that too many Americans won't be ready in time for the Feb. 17 deadline that Congress had set three years ago. The Senate passed the measure unanimously last week and the bill now heads to President Barack Obama for his signature.

The delay is a victory for the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress, who maintain that the previous administration mismanaged efforts to ensure that all consumers - particularly poor, rural and minority Americans - will be prepared for the switchover.

The Nielsen Co. estimates that more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals still are not ready. People who subscribe to cable or satellite TV or have a newer TV with a digital tuner will not be affected.

"The passage of this bipartisan legislation means that millions of Americans will have the time they need to prepare for the conversion," the White House said in a statement. "We will continue to work with Congress to improve the information and assistance available to American consumers in advance of June 12, especially those in the most vulnerable communities."

Wednesday's vote came one week after House Republicans blocked the bill when it was in a special fast-track vote that required two-thirds support to pass. This time, the bill passed the House under a regular floor vote, which only requires a simple majority.

[barbaram99]

The people are given to June 12. However they can turn analog off sooner. They can''t for ever run both formats. They WILL turn off analog just a matter of TIME. So get ready. If they go ahead and turn off the Analog TV then they will be forced to get the box if they want to see TV. I don''t watch analog as it is so snowy I can''t see it. So I watch the digital side. I don''t miss them CRT TVs. They will buy the box once the Analog side is shut dowm..That is if they want to watch TV..

[tucson23]

In four months, 90% of those who aren''t ready now still won''t be ready. You have to allow for a certain percentage of Americans who are too stupid to get it, until the actual day comes when they can''t watch CSI anymore. Delays and hand-holding won''t change that.

[tomrobla]

The broadcasters are incurring extra cost maintaining both analog and digital signals. My local stations were planning on the February transition to remove analog equipment and relocate digital equipment to improve the digital signal strength. Emergency services were expecting to use some of those frequencies. I don''t hear much about the costs of delay.
All the emphasis is on the poor people that ignored years of dtv transition ads. We will now endure 4 more months of those ads. Most of the people that aren''t ready now still won''t be ready four months from now.

[barbaram99]

I heard about the change in 06. Any way folks,it will change over..The TV stations are ready..As of a certain date they stoped selling analog only sets. They now have both tuners. My friend needed a new TV in early 08. I went with him. It has both formats. I don''t want the coupons. I have to use the digital side to see the pic..Analog is too snowy. Radio ..They have a radio with the NTSC TV band in it.. Am wondering if they will make one with the ATSC bands ..that is TV sounds ...

[garyaline99]

I say let the TV Stations go ditigal anyway. If you didn''t get your converter box by now, YOU ARE SCREWED. You had two years.

[mollydtt]

When people turn on their analog-only tv''s on Feb. 17, they will KNOW that their tv''s work, and don''t need to get a converter.

After all, that *was* the date, bombarded with the info, over and over and over and over.....
and if they didn''t have the smarts to do anything by then, they won''t know that the date has moved forward.

Then, whenever the switch is made (years from now, I''m sure) people will still be surprised and angry that they can''t get anything on their tv''s.

How mean this is to the broadcasters that have to repair and maintain both broadcasting signals. And do we "really" need to free up those analog signals?

I don''t believe anything anymore.

Just get the *** thing changed over. This concept was started over 5 years ago, new TV''s have it already built in. And I can''t see why people are so confused over it.

[hunterdon6]

The smart people in this country that prepared for the digital age are held at ransom because 6 million idiots can''t read or hear the 1000''s of messages over the last 2 years. Come July, there will still be 6 million TV''s that won''t get digital. Is Congress going to postpone it another 6 months? It''s going to be a long long long 4 years till the next election.

[hawksprings]

Why doesn''t our Dear Leader just mail everyone a converter box coupon and a tire pressure gauge?

Then he''d solve 2 problems in one swoop and prove that he IS the Messiah?

[barbaram99]

I bought an ext. TV card to put on my computer to get the Digital TV and I called my friend in when I turned it on.That was in 07. I told him to listen to the sound..it is not mono. Am using a notebook computer. I have flat panel-computer monitor. I have to as a legally blind. Canada will go digital TV. Just wait.

[sabre1111]

The country is falling apart at the seams and our elected officials think this is a higher priority item then all the other issues we have facing us? What a complete bunch of idiots.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, vote for an incumbant for national office again - within one term they become totally disconnected from the real world and spend most of their tinme padding their pockets and focusing on nonsense versus tackling real issues and doing what''''s right.


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Posted by craigh9

What do you expect Congress to do? Ignore everything except only the biggest issues? While I agree with everyone that 3 years was enough time to "get ready", Congress still had to deal with this and has to take care of ALL the business it can. If you think the country is falling apart now, imagine what would happen if Congress simply ignored the thousands of secondary issues that come up in the course of a year.

[craigh9]

Who says this is high priority? Have you been asleep since Jan 20?


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Posted by Displeased at 09:03 AM : Feb 05, 2009

It isn''t a high priority - it''s political posturing and complete nonsense. Our elected officals should be able to find more pressing things impacting our country to occupy their time. To spend even 30 seconds revisiting this was way too much time. Congress is a joke!

[displeased]

The country is falling apart at the seams and our elected officials think this is a higher priority item then all the other issues we have facing us?
Posted by craigh9

Who says this is high priority? Have you been asleep since Jan 20?

[rf35]

I''m starting to wonder if America made the right decision with Obama and this Congress. This is a really dumb move. There shouldn''t be anyone who is caught by surprise by the switchover. If they are, they haven''t been watching TV for the past 3 years anyway! Maybe these people are just playing it smart. If I lived in the States, owned an analog-only set, and didn''t have cable, I suppose I would order my coupons (without using them) and then do nothing but whine about the transition until the government finally gave me a box for free. Or maybe I''ve been right all along and these people are too stupid to be allowed to watch TV.

"Cletus, the picture box don''t work no more!"
"Awh Hell Earlene, I can''t worry ''bout that...I gotta go get us a squirrel fer supper!"

[craigh9]

- if we are not ready after 1100 days what makes anyone think another 115 will make a difference.
- since when did TV availability rise up to the level of rights like healthcare - would anyones world stop spinning becasue they didn''t have access to TV?????
- if ANYONE truly can''t afford a $40 converter, then they simply can''t afford a TV either.
- does anyone in congress know that radio still exists? that it is a very cheap alternative to TV to keep the american public "tuned in".

The country is falling apart at the seams and our elected officials think this is a higher priority item then all the other issues we have facing us? What a complete bunch of idiots.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, vote for an incumbant for national office again - within one term they become totally disconnected from the real world and spend most of their tinme padding their pockets and focusing on nonsense versus tackling real issues and doing what''s right.

[yongamerica]

But did congress vote to fund the programs deficit left from the all hat and no cattle Dumbdumb?

[rwsmith29456]

Everybody has had two years to prepare for this. Start sending out digital signals and all those procrastinators who have to do without TV for a day will get their converter boxes chop chop.

[condumistan]

Another great example of how stupid, and lazy Americans really are.

[jydavis1]

you shouldn''t have to pay for your propaganda .. white power ?

[jaykay3141]

"If your television looks like this," there wont [sic] be anywhere on it for a convertor [sic] box to connect to. ... the only connections on the back are two screws to connect two antennae [sic] wires.
Posted by osiod9 at 06:20 PM : Feb 04, 2009

Go to your local WalMart and look for a transformer labeled "75 to 300 ohms". It''ll cost you about 4 bucks for a set of two, much cheaper than the alternative at that well-known radio store. The transformer has a round coaxial connector on one end and twin antenna leads on the other. Screw the new antenna cable on the coax end and attach the leads to your TV set. It takes about 1 minute and you''re ready.