Jim Puzzanghera writes:
Millions of TV sets that rely on antennas may go dark in a little more than 18 months, and the government needs to do much more to help people who own them see the light, senators said Thursday. ¶ "I think there's high potential for a train wreck here," Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) told Federal Communications Commission and Commerce Department officials during a hearing on the transition to digital-only signals. ...
... Democrats appear poised to push for more money and public service announcements to prepare TV owners. U.S. officials have budgeted $5 million to tell people about the switch and coupons that will cover most of the cost of a no-frills converter box. The coupons will be available Jan. 1 on a first-come, first-served basis. ...
Link: Los Angeles Times. Thanks to Katy June-Friesen at Current.
See also Steven Sande's Let's avoid that digital TV 'train wreck':
The shutdown of analog television broadcasts in 2009 offers “high potential for a train wreck,” according to Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). Is the digital TV transition a disaster in the making? ¶ It’s still too early to tell. Alarm bells were rung at today’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing, where an AARP official raised the prospect of senior citizens losing their television service and taking it out on Congress. That’s exactly what would happen, too, if we switched over tomorrow. Surveys continue to show low levels of awareness about what will happen on February 17, 2009, when over-the-air broadcasters will complete the change to digital TV. Personally, I’m not despairing—not yet. ...
Link: Digital TV Facts. --Dennis
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