The Senate and President Obama are ready to pass legislation that will postpone the DTV Transistion date from Feburary 17th, 2009 to June 12th, 2009 – or so says the Internet. The new bill doesn’t provide more funds for the DTV Coupon program but will allow individual stations to determine when they will switch off their analog signal. So now, instead of having one, uniform date, some stations will make the switch on February 17th and others later in the year. Good or bad?
Broadcasters and consumers have known about this date for years. PSAs constantly run on every channels and local TV stations provide handy FAQ call-ins. Still, some people just don’t get it and instead of loosing 100% of their TV on February 17th, hopefully they will only lose a few stations. In turn, the need for a DTV box should become apparent. Or, since it’s to the broadcaster, that person could loose all of their stations. Either way, there is likely to be an outcry and people cursing the former president about how he took away their TV.
Update to come when the Senate votes on the bill.