The date the government and broadcasters have been telling viewers in the United States for years no longer matters. At least, that's what members of Congress and President Barack Obama are saying by putting the DTV Delay Act into law.
Now stations are not required to switch to broadcasting exclusively digital signals until June 12, 2009, a move lawmakers say will help millions avoid losing their signal.
"It's clear that the only way to avoid a massive disruption affecting 5.7 percent of the TV-viewing public is to delay the transition and provide the funding to assure that, when it occurs, it occurs smoothly," Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Virginia) said in the Feb. 3 Associated Press article "Rabbit ears get reprieve with digital TV delay."
Stations Don't Have to Wait
While the act does delay the required digital switch by 116 days, the bill has a provision allowing stations to make the switch early. They have to apply to the FCC for permission, but viewers who now choose to wait until June may find themselves without any programming despite the delay.
Stations that are not granted permission to end their analog signals early will have to continue those broadcasts, which for many means 116 extra days of airing both analog and digital signals. That costs the stations extra money in an environment in which they are already expecting lower revenue. The Television Bureau of Advertising forecasts ad revenue for stations will be down 2-5 percent in 2009, according to the Sept. 9, 2009 Broadcasting and Cable article "TVB Forecasts Dour 2009."
Help for Expired DTV Coupon Holders
The law does help consumers who need financial assistance to purchase a digital converter box for their analog televisions. Those who have expired $40 coupons distributed by the government can request a replacement. The coupon program itself has been extended from March 31 to July 31, though the bill does not include any additional money for new coupons. That funding is a part of the $900 billion stimulus package currently being considered by Congress.
The government Web site dtv2009.gov offers a waiting list for those seeking a coupon, saying consumers "will not receive coupons until funds become available."
Regardless of when Congress allocates more money to the program, pushing the date back until June means an even further delay in identifying and fixing potential problems related to the conversion. If a severe thunderstorm or hurricane is bearing down on a portion of the United States, the lost months of troubleshooting could be dangerous for viewers who didn't make the switch smoothly, or simply waited too long.
Allowing the original deadline--the subject of more than a year of heavy advertising by the government and stations--to stand would have benefited broadcasters and viewers by clearly communicating what was happening, and what steps needed to be taken in order to minimize any loss of programming.
