About the DTV Transition
The clock is ticking. TV stations in the U.S. must switch off their analog signals by midnight (local time) on Feb. 17, 2009, and rely solely on their digital signals to reach their over-the-air viewers.
Most broadcasters should be ready for the changeover. The U.S. government gave every station a second channel a decade ago so that it could simulcast a digital signal and so it and the country could make a smooth, painless transition from analog to digital broadcasting. At least, that's the idea.
According to the National Association of Broadcasters, 1,629 of the some 1,700 full-power TV stations are now broadcasting digital signals, although, broadcasters concede, not all at full power.
The deadline is coming sooner than broadcasters had expected. Originally, they didn't have to give up their analog channels until 85 percent of households were equipped to receive digital signals. That put the changeover date in some distant, undetermined future.
But things became more real on Feb. 8, 2006, when President Bush signed legislation setting the hard deadline. Congress sent the law to the President's desk because the government was eager to take back broadcasters' original analog channels and auction off most of the spectrum. Some of the spectrum is being reserved for public safety uses.
The law setting the deadline also recognizes that when it comes millions of homes will still be receiving broadcasts using indestructible analog TV sets, if not in the living room, then in the bedroom or kitchen.
So, the law earmarks nearly $1.1 billion of the auction proceeds to inform consumers about the transition and to help them buy converter boxes that would allow them to receive the new digital signals on their old analog sets. The government subsidy will come in the form of $40 coupons.
The law designates the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a division of the Commerce Department, to administer the public education and subsidy programs.
Disruption of analog service and the hassle of having to retrofit faithful old TV sets with converters boxes may be offset by the benefits of digital broadcasting.
Because digital is so much more efficient than analog, TV stations will not only be able to broadcast HDTV, but also extra channels of standard-definition TV and mobile TV that can be received on cell phones, PDAs, laptops and in cars.
