Asleep at the "Switch": Did I Miss the DTV Transition?

True: I wanted to call this article “I want my DTV” but a quick search on Google revealed that I am not so clever. The Wall Street Journal had already published that exact headline in yesterday’s online opinion section.

You can read WSJ’s article at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123482718276095125.html

False: The DTV transition occurred on February 17, 2009. Congress passed legislation (S. 352) to delay the transition until June 12, 2009. While some stations have moved forward and made the transition, the remaining stations are poised to do so sometime between March 14 and June 12, 2009. The FCC reports that approximately 220 stations stopped broadcasting in analog prior to Tuesday, and about 421 stations completed the transition by Midnight on Tuesday, for a total of 641 stations having made the transition. Needless to say, the various switch dates have led to consumer confusion. The FCC has released some recent news with these details, as well as the call volume on this issue on their consumer help line.

These materials can be found at:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288530A1.pdf

and
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288641A1.pdf

Let’s Face It: digital television sounds cool, and once the transition is complete consumers will benefit from the new technology while the FCC also frees up some valuable spectrum. Part of being a member of the new, "technologically-driven generation on the rise" makes the notion of improved picture quality and multicasting capabilities an exciting new feature for me. However, many consumers who are not as tech savvy have experienced a myriad of problems related to a lack of reliable information and a scarcity of resources needed to make the DTV transition a smooth one.

Moving Forward: The FCC has recently ramped up its advertising of the DTV transition (Congress moved forward and switched the date anyway, because Congress can do that), but more must still be done to ensure that all consumers understand what they actually need. The FCC's news updates have, in fact, been helpful. For this transition to work, consumers need to be given accurate information, and the government needs to make sure that converter box coupons and other necessary resources are available—something that a mere date switch cannot fix. Despite how long consumers waited to cash in their coupons, in a country focused on connecting everyone to broadband, no one in “TV-land” should be left in the dark.

For more on the DTV transition, please visit:
http://www.fcc.gov/

and
http://www.dtv.gov/