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A last-minute decision by Congress has pushed back the country’s transition to digital TV. KSMU’s Nathan McVay talked to a local electronic store to see the reasons for and the effects of Congress’s decision.
February 17th was supposed to be the day when television stations nationwide stopped broadcasting in analog signals and went purely digital. But, Congress on Wednesday announced that the American public has four more months to prepare for the switch to digital television.
The new transition date is now June 12.
Anyone owning a television set without a cable or satellite subscription, or a built-in digital tuner will need a converter box to continue to receive free television.
These converter boxes are available at stores such as Best Buy, Radio Shack, Wal-Mart and others.
Corey Nolan is an employee at Radio Shack located on Campbell street in Springfield. He believes the postponement was necessary.
“I think it’s a good thing, I don’t think people are ready for it yet. People are still coming in, yesterday I still had people coming in having no idea how to hook these things up and how they worked,” he said.
The United States government created a coupon program with over a billion dollars in funding. Anyone can apply for a $40 coupon towards a digital converter box, which can then be redeemed at participating stores.
The converter boxes range from $40-$70. Nolan says about 15 people a day come into his store with the coupons.
“I’ve seen anybody from, you know, an 18 year old kid who has an apartment up the street. It’s a lot, a lot of older people. That’s where we get a lot of questions and stuff like that. They’re a little worried and they get a little frantic about it,” he said.
Right now, those who apply for the coupons will be put on a waiting list while the federal government waits for old coupons to expire. The current $800 billion dollar stimulus package being debated by Congress includes additional funding for the coupon program.
Nolan says he feels a lot more work needs to be done.
“I don’t think people are prepared for it at all. Give it a couple of more months, I think, personally, I think they need to do a better job of educating people. I know they have the website for people to go to. But, I just don’t think they are helping people prepare for it enough,” he said.
For more information on the transition to digital television, Ozarks Public Broadcasting is hosting a town-hall meeting Thursday night at 7 in the Strong Hall Atrium on the Missouri State University Campus. Strong Hall is located at 900 S. Holland in Springfield. Officials from the Federal Communications Commission from Washington, D.C. will be there to take questions from the public. The event is free. For KSMU news, I’m Nathan McVay
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The phone number to call to apply for the DTV coupons is 1-888-DTV-2009. You can also visit them online at www.DTV2009.gov.
