TV doomsday: Feb. 17, 2009. Will the USA be ready?

TV DOOMSDAY: FEB 17, 2009. WILL THE USA BE READY?
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps]
[Commentary] Does Feb. 17, 2009, mean anything to you? If you're among the millions of American households that get over-the-air TV, it's the day your set will stop working unless you protect yourself. Here's why. TV stations broadcast separate analog and digital signals. On Feb. 17, 2009, they'll switch to all-digital. Analog sets — the majority of sets bought more than a few years ago — can't display those digital signals. If this is the first you've heard of it, you're not alone: 61% of Americans have no idea it's happening, according to a survey by the Association of Public Television Stations. Compare that with the United Kingdom, where 80% of consumers know they face a transition. Why? Well, last year, the U.K. launched a $400 million consumer education campaign. In the USA — where Red Lobster spends $95 million a year in advertising — $5 million has been allocated. The theory is that industry will pick up the slack. But they're already tardy. Though websites and pamphlets are fine, the real way to reach viewers is through TV programming — early and often. Broadcasters say not to worry, major on-air efforts are coming. But a transition this important cannot be left to a patchwork of private action. It's time for the FCC to make sure we have a coordinated, nationwide plan to get the message out. The transition result in more TV channels, but, perhaps, not more TV programming. The reason is that the FCC has been asleep at the switch. Even as we paved the way for broadcasters to squeeze far greater capacity from the public's airwaves — for free — we haven't ensured that some of the digital dividend will serve the American public rather than just broadcasters' private financial interests. We need a meaningful set of digital public interest obligations for the 21st century.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20070927/opcom_thurs.art.htm