Digital conversion delay hot topic at 2009 CES

By Mark Hansel

Friday, Jan. 16, 2009 | 2 a.m.

President-elect Barack Obama turned a lot of heads recently when, through his transition team, he asked Congress to postpone the shut-off of analog TV broadcasts, scheduled for Feb. 17.

In a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, John Podesta, co-chairman of the transition team, cited the lack of funding for a converter box coupon program and insufficient consumer support and education.

The $1.34 billion digital converter box coupon program was designed to allow for two $40 coupons for every household that required the kit. Consumers without a digital television, cable access or a satellite service will need the converter box to view even network television after Feb. 17. With the conversion date a month away and 1 million people still on the waiting list, however, the fund has been exhausted.

Despite a comprehensive education campaign by the Federal Communications Commission, cable service providers, retailers and local television stations, there are still millions of Americans who are likely to be without access to a television signal if the switch takes place Feb. 17.

Panelists last week at a Consumer Electronics Show session that focused on the digital transition agreed with that assertion. They also said, however, that a delay would probably not make much of a difference for the people who have not yet purchased converter boxes, but would seriously disrupt the conversion plans.

The panel included Roger Goldblatt, outreach and policy adviser for the FCC; John Taylor, a vice president at LG Electronics; Mike Vitelli, an executive vice president at Best Buy; and Gary Arlen, president of Arlen Communications, who moderated the discussion.

“We are going under the belief that the Feb. 17 deadline will be the transition unless we hear anything different,” Goldblatt said. “The FCC just does what Congress tells it to do.”

The problem with allowing more time, Goldblatt said, is that for more than three years, all efforts have focused on this transition date. All of the public service announcements, literature and information sessions have identified this as the date and a delay would not be fair to the networks, the cable providers or the companies that are awaiting access to the airwaves that will be freed up by the digital transition.

Verizon Wireless, for example, has spent $9 billion for airwaves, which it plans to use for wireless Internet service and hopes to have the network set up by the end of the year. A delay of even a few months could seriously disrupt that schedule.

The problem is not in identifying which groups of people are not up to speed on the digital transition. Goldblatt said the five demographic groups most likely to not know about the transition are low-income people, senior citizens, the disabled, those living on tribal lands and non-English speaking people.

The challenge is finding a way to reach those groups.

The government Web site set up to provide answers has been translated into more than 20 languages, including such obscure dialects as Creole and Yupic. There have been town hall meetings, dry runs in select cities and literally hundreds of information sessions.

Goldblatt admitted that short of a nationwide cessation of all television transmissions, which is not economically feasible, there is no way to get the transition message out to the people who these efforts have not reached. The transition team said that despite the extensive efforts, the failure to get the message out to these groups is ample reason to request a delay.

Television has become the primary source of information for many people, and the groups identified have less access to alternate sources, such as the Internet. Because of this, the transition team says a disruption in television service to these groups, even for a short period, is unacceptable. The issue will likely be settled by Congress within the next few weeks.

Whether it happens Feb. 17, or after that, the digital transition will occur soon, and there are a few things people should be aware of that might make the switch easier.

Those who have a converter box already do not have to wait until the transition date to hook the boxes up. Television stations have been broadcasting in analog and digital simultaneously, so the box will work now. By hooking the boxes up in advance, users can perform any troubleshooting necessary before the transition date.

It is also important for consumers to understand the lack of coupons does not equate to a shortage of converter boxes. Consumers who are not yet prepared for the transition can purchase a box at many stores by paying full price. Although there are still plenty of boxes available, eventually there will be a decrease in the demand and retailers will cut back on in-store stock.

Consumers with a spare bedroom or a summer home without cable access should probably plan ahead and either buy a converter box now, or get put on the waiting list for a coupon. If more funds are allocated for the converter box program, coupons will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.

People should also be aware a high definition television is not the same as digital tuner. A digital tuner allows access to a digital transmission, while high definition television has to do with picture quality. While new television sets will have both, consumers should be sure that their high-definition TV is also set up to receive the digital transmission. Without this capability, and unless they have a converter box, cable access or a satellite dish, all they will get after the transition is very high quality snow on the screen.