Much of America unready for DTV transition

On Feb. 17, all full-power analog television broadcasts in the United States will cease and existing TV stations are scheduled to begin broadcasting exclusively in a digital format. The switch to digital television (DTV) will free up frequencies for emergency uses and allow broadcasters to provide more programming for their viewers through “multicasting.”

As a practical matter, people will need to subscribe to a cable or satellite television service, use a digital-ready TV set or hook up a digital converter box to an analog TV set, in order to continue watching broadcast television.

Unfortunately, the number of people who stand to lose their access to TV programming in the coming DTV transition is considerable. Roughly 10 percent to 15 percent of all TV households (about 30 million to 40 million people) still rely on over-the-air television, most of whom are senior citizens, poor or non-English speakers. In a city like Chicago, with high poverty rates and a large immigrant population, some 20 percent of residents still use an antenna-only TV and an estimated 230,000 households are completely unready for the conversion.

The federal government launched a coupon program that allows each household to claim up to two $40 coupons to help offset the cost of digital converter boxes for those that can’t afford them otherwise. But the coupons expire 90 days after issuance, and half of the more than 25 million people who have requested them have seen their coupons expire.

What’s more, surveys show more than three-quarters of those who are interested in getting converter boxes are not aware of the coupon program.

In late December, government officials overseeing the transition told Congress they may need an extra $330 million to keep up with the demand for converter box coupons. They also admitted that there might not be enough converter boxes available to fill anticipated needs — and that the shortfall could be as high as 2.5 million boxes.

Because of these mounting problems, President-elect Barack Obama has called for the DTV conversion to be postponed. Momentum for such a delay is building on Capitol Hill and such a move would certainly make sense. Yet it remains to be seen whether a delay so close to the deadline is even feasible. Congress would have to change the enabling law it passed and, with an already-packed legislative docket, may not be able to act in time. No matter what happens, the public is bound to be upset and confused.

Outreach about the DTV conversion has been haphazard at best. For the most part, the Federal Communications Commission is counting on public service announcements voluntarily aired by broadcasters to inform viewers about the switch.

The distribution of set-top converter boxes has also been fraught with serious problems. Research has shown that the sort of stores that carry converter boxes are typically located far from the low-income neighborhoods which need them most. And many retailers have been caught flat-footed — not knowing about the transition and sometimes providing incorrect information about the conversion or the coupon program.

Amid widespread confusion about the DTV conversion, there has been no shortage of unscrupulous retailers taking advantage. Fly-by-night scam businesses and major satellite and cable TV providers have been pushing unwitting TV viewers to buy equipment they don’t need at inflated prices.

Worse still, the FCC fined several large big box retailers a combined $3.9 million for failing to correctly label analog-only TV sets that will be rendered useless come Feb. 17.

The saddest thing about this entire situation is that America’s transition to DTV could’ve been handled much differently.

The United Kingdom is in the midst of its own gradual switch to digital television. But unlike here in the U.S., the British conversion is being rolled out methodically over the course of four years, converting region by region, practically neighborhood by neighborhood. Americans who watch TV and the regulators who shape our communications policies would be wise to take notice.

• Steve Macek, an associate professor of speech communication at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., and Mitchell Szczepanczyk, an organizer with Chicago Media Action, are contributors to the American Forum.