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To postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting by four months is not going to help many of the millions of U.S. households that rely on analog television. Analog signals travel further then digital. Meaning if you live over 50 miles from your local station, you may not be able to receive a picture with or with out a converter box. An expensive antenna may help, but much of the country is out of range of over the air digital programming. Many stations have already cut the power on their analog transmission and have cut off many of the same households. That is why in many parts of the country consumers subscribe to a cable or satellite TV service.

The FCC better permit power output increases or there will be howling. I’ve been OTA digital signal for 2 years now and I’ve had to jack up my antenna/rotor/amp and distribution system significantly because, like a squelch control on a VHF radio, a certain signal level and SNR must be present for the front end of my HDTV tuner to permit processing-for-display, that channel.

Analog signals travel further then digital. Meaning if you live over 50 miles from your local station, you may not be able to receive a picture with or with out a converter box. An expensive antenna may help, but much of the country is out of range of over the air digital programming. Count me among that group. I live about 10 miles west of the proverbial hamlet of Bumf*ck in an extremely hilly and timbered neck of the woods. Cable is not available. I've tried three different antennas to try and pick up over-the-air analog signals from the nearest local network stations (all 60-80 miles away). On a good day, I can get CBS, but have never been able to pick up NBC. Satellite is available, of course, but DirecTV does not carry these local stations and the stations have twice refused to grant me a waiver allowing DirecTV to provide me with NBC, CBS and ABC from another market. Also, stations are no longer required to come out and do a signal strength test if you file a complaint. For me, the transition to digital is forcing me to spend more money for crappy reception.