Obama: Delay DTV Transition
CEA Calls For No Change In Transition Date
By Ted Hearn - Multichannel News -- TWICE, January 8, 2009
Washington—President-elect Barack Obama wants to delay the Feb. 17 transition to digital broadcasting, claiming the country, particularly the poor and elderly, are not prepared for the cutoff of analog TV signals so soon after he takes office on Jan. 20.
CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro said in a statement from the International CES in Las Vegas, that the CEA supports keeping the original transition date.
"If the goal is to avoid consumer confusion, keeping the February 17 transition date that is engrained in consumer minds is the best solution. Above all, CEA is committed to working closely with the new Administration to support all of their efforts to ensure the smoothest possible DTV transition for U.S. consumers," Shapiro said.
Obama's call for delay came in a letter Thursday from the co-chairman of his transition team, John Podesta, to the bipartisan leadership of the Commerce Committee's in the House and Senate.
Podesta didn't say how long the delay should last.
The CEA statement said it believes converter boxes are available in sufficient numbers and consumers are well aware of the impending changeover. Any concerns about the coupon program should be addressed by Congress so the coupons are not held up due to funding issues.
"Should Congress find it necessary, they can put more coupons into circulation, a much better solution than causing massive consumer confusion and uncertainty," Shapiro said.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.), who last month was named the new chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, was among the first to support Obama’s recommendation to postpone the DTV transition deadline.
“I’ve long believed that there is too much at stake for consumers and for public safety to simply cross our fingers and hope for the best when it comes to the digital television transition,” he said in a statement. “Millions of Americans could be left in the dark if this doesn’t go smoothly.”
Those in favor of keeping the Feb. 17 deadline intact were quick to respond.
In a statement Thursday afternoon, U.S. Representative Joe Barton (R-Texas) decried Obama’s suggestion, saying “ditching the deadline and slathering on more millions of taxpayer dollars...is just panic.”
“We don’t need to bail out the DTV transition program because it isn’t failing, and reintroducing uncertainty to the switch will make things worse instead of better,” he said in the statement. “Congress has already put up $1.5 billion to ease the switch to digital television and that money is far from gone, recent headlines notwithstanding. About 300,000 of the $40 consumer coupons expire each week and as they do, more coupons go out.”
“Everybody recognizes that these aren’t ordinary times, and I’m working with Chairman Markey on an accounting bill that allows NTIA to meet the last-minute demand by issuing additional coupons,” he continued. “That’s the right thing to do.”
Another member of the Lone Star State delegation weighed in with similar sentiments.
“I am concerned about moving the date of the upcoming digital television transition,” said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), in a prepared statement. “We need to focus on a solution to the coupon shortage. Shifting the date this close to the transition, without a sound plan to share information about the new transition date, will likely result in significant confusion.”
“I share concerns about the availability of coupons and pledge my support in working with my colleagues to find a solution to this problem,” she added.
U.S. Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.), a senior member of the House Telecommunications and Internet subcommittee, didn’t specifically endorse Obama’s call to delay the DTV transition Thursday, but did acknowledge the potential risk of rushing the switch to all-digital broadcasting.
“President-elect Obama’s call to move back the digital television transition date highlights the vulnerability of millions of Americans to the impending analog signal shut-off,” he said. “It also underscores the need for prompt Congressional examination of his proposal.”
“Moving the transition date entails significant logistical challenges,” he added. “However, the prospect of leaving millions of consumers in the dark requires Congress to immediately consider the feasibility of the President-elect’s proposal.”
President Bush signed the law in February 2006 to make Feb. 17, 2009 the cutoff date of analog TV signals nationally.
Podesta argued that the $1.34 billion, digital-to-analog converter box coupon program run by the U.S. Commerce Department can't issue any new coupons. That, he said, has produced a waiting list for 1 million $40 coupons. He also complained there was insufficient financial support for programs designed to help rural, poor and elderly to prepare for digital TV service.
"All of the above leads to the conclusion that the Feb. 17 cutoff of analog signals should be reconsider and extended," Podesta said.
An Obama transition office spokeswoman said that Obama supports Podesta's letter.
According to Nielsen Co., December data shows that approximately 7.8 million households, or 6.8% of total U.S. television homes, are completely unprepared, meaning that no TV set would be able to receive a signal unless some change is made.
“In light of recent calls for the delay of the transition to all-digital broadcast, we wanted to remind you that Nielsen has comprehensive numbers on how well prepared U.S. TV households are,” the media research firm said in a statement, adding that it has been providing updates for both the nation as a whole and each of 56 local markets with metered measurement throughout the past year.
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