Maybe that means that they are waiting for Obamugabe to cash their check.................
Ha, maybe.
Seriously, obtaining FAA certification for anything takes quite a while. An ELT, in particular, is tough because it must survive a crash and still put out a minimum transmit power for a minimum period.
Transitioning to 406MHz ELTs is technically a good thing for many reasons, but the issue here is how that transition takes place and how quickly. Slamming this on GA rather than allowing the marketplace (i.e. aircraft owners) to manage the transition is the problem. There are tradeoffs and alternatives, such as keeping the older 121.5 MHz intstallation in the aircraft but carrying a portable 406 MHz unit in your flight bag at a much lower cost. Also, the batteries in the ELTs must be replaced periodically, and some owners opt to upgrade to 406 when their 121.5 ELT battery needs replacement.
This reminds me of the recent pulling of the plug on the LORAN-C navigation system that was done on short notice and very quickly earlier this year.