Most(but not all) of the converter boxes are pretty good at recieving digital signals, in many cases the ATSC decoders inside the converter boxes are better than those in DTV sets.
The set-top box program is operated by the National Telecommunications Information Agency (NTIA) part of the Department of Commerce, not the FCC.
When the FCC had to figure out to put about 1,500 more channels into the TV band, an area which had been cosidered full, they made several planning assumptions, including antenna, and paramaters about the receiver. Unfortunately the real world results have not yet achieved the planning factors.
As a result DTV coverage areas are NOT as large or as robust as the analog signals. With an analog signal, the picture would get snowy, with a digital signal, you get a perfect picture until you get no picture.
The FCC last week released coverage area projections for every full power station in the county comparing analog coverage to digital coverage, and patting themselves on the back for only having 11% of the stations having a net loss of viewers. But, they used the same non real world planning factors.
full list:
http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/
stations with problems:
http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/report2.html
At the consumer end, some elderly people just absolutely do not know how to hook up the box.
The information campaign focused so much for so long on getting the coupons into the hands of the consumers, they overlooked the education aspect about antennas.
And the need for GOOD antennas is not being met by the likes of Radio Shack or Best Buy. An indoor antenna with a “loop” is not going to work.
I stand corrected on the NTIA vs. FCC. I thought the FCC was offering the boxes, but I don't need one so didn't bother to research it. The NTIA if I remember correctly has been fighting the switch DTV for years.
I will still install one for free to anybody that asks. I will even install an antenna.
So many people have either cable or satellite, I suspect this will only effect a small market of people that really don't watch much TV anyway. So you miss Oprah, this could be a good thing. :)