House Votes to Delay Switch to Digital TV

The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to extend the transition to digital television by four months, ending a debate about whether to allow consumers more time to make the switch. Broadcasters were scheduled to cease analog broadcasts on Feb. 17, as part of a long-awaited move to digital broadcasting that will make the analog spectrum available for other applications, including for use by wireless companies and public safety agencies. The new deadline is June 12. Most television owners, including those with cable or satellite connections, will not be affected by the signal change. But viewers with old antennas will lose service unless converter boxes are installed to translate the digital signals. Last month The Nielsen Company estimated that 6.5 million households are completely unprepared for the switch, meaning that no televisions in those homes are equipped to receive digital signals. President Obama supports the delay, sharing concerns that 20 million mostly poor, elderly and rural households were not ready for the congressionally mandated switch. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Copps said, "I welcome Congressional passage of the DTV Delay Act. It has long been clear to me--and it's even clearer since I became Acting FCC Chairman two weeks ago--that the country is not prepared to undertake a nationwide transition in twelve days without unacceptably high consumer dislocation."