Posted on 02/06/2009 9:03:37 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
When Congress postponed the mandatory transition to digital TV until June, it also gave stations the option to stick to the originally scheduled date of Feb. 17.
That means the shutdown of analog signals, which broadcasters had hoped would happen at nearly the same time nationwide, could now unfold in a confusing patchwork of different schedules.
Lawmakers wanted to address concerns that many households that receive TV signals through an antenna are not prepared for the switch. They were also mindful that a government fund has run out of money to subsidize digital converter boxes for older TVs.
Dozens of stations around the country now say they are going to take advantage of the option to drop analog broadcasts this month.
Many others are on the fence. The total number is likely to be in the hundreds, a substantial chunk and maybe even a majority of the country's 1,796 full-power TV stations.
The House voted Wednesday to delay the mandatory shutdown until June 12. The Senate passed the measure unanimously last week, and the bill now heads to President Barack Obama for his signature.
The legislation means analog signals could vanish entirely in some areas but persist in neighboring regions. In rural areas, low-power stations will continue to broadcast in analog even beyond June 12.
(Excerpt) Read more at physorg.com ...
fyi
Perhaps shutting them down all at once was a bad idea anyway.
No matter what happens, lots of folks won’t catch a clue until the screen goes dark.
In any case, those freqs are sold. Can’t keep those buyers waiting now, can we?
Obama’s fault!!
You wouldn’t think anything could get more screwed up than this analog/digital thing, but this congress managed it!
I predict almost all analog signals are going to go dark in less than two weeks. Local television stations are not going to want to shoulder the financial burden of transmitting an analog and digital signal for four months. These local television stations have been advertising the analog shutdown for the past year. Anybody who is too stupid to have gotten a converter box by now if they use an antenna deserves to be left in the dark.
I guess my hand held battery operated tv I keep in my emergency kit will become a night light no convarter box for small sets the great thinkers in D.C. know how to screw up anything.
Bowling ball designed by Congress
The current analog channels certainly can go dark on 02/17 or any other time that they choose (up to the final, legislated time) but the problem that some will have is that the older VHF stations (2-13) are currently transmitting their digital broadcasts on channels in the UHF band (14-63).
Many were planning to move these signals back to their old VHF channel, but may not be able to do so until the mandatory deadline. They could be left with inadequate power, temporary antennas, makeshift arrangements, and poor coverage.
I read somewhere where there are 6.5 million homes that need to convert. 6.5 million x 2 converter boxes = 13 million boxes x $40.00 per box (value of government coupon) = $520 million. So how come the Feds have already spent $1.35 billion on this program, with another 665 million in the Porkulus? Seems like the cost of “administering” this program is a bit high.
Stations in my area seem to have taken an “If all the others do it, they will do it” stand.
Hawaii has already converted. Apparently there’s no panic in the streets there.
Do people in Hawaii actually watch TV? Seems so sacrilegious...
Our local NCB affiliate did it last week. Switched over to 100% digital so if those people in the county around here didn’t get a converter they are in the dark as far as TV goes.
0bama is very uptight about these idiots screens going dark. Means his voters will be cut off from him
‘Do people in Hawaii actually watch TV? Seems so sacrilegious... ‘
There is a period of about 15 minutes of rain everyday...
Zero leadership and zero certainty.
Confusion and a patch work or different results.
And the democratic congress believes they can spend a trillion dollars to fix the economy???
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