The Obama administration has reportedly called on Congress to delay the broadcaster switch from analog to digital television.
“With coupons unavailable, support and education insufficient, and the most vulnerable Americans exposed, I urge you to consider a change to the legislatively-mandated analog cutoff date,” John Podesta, co-chair of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team wrote in the letter to DTV leaders, which was provided to The Washington Post.
By law, broadcasters must switch from analog to digital signals by February 17, 2009 in order to free up the airwaves for public safety use. The government has funded an outreach effort and is providing two $40 converter box coupons to any American that wants them, but the National Telecommunications & Information Administration recently said that it might need an additional $330 million to satisfy all the coupon requests.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also warned about a possible loss of service known as the “digital cliff.”
The Obama letter went out the same day that the Consumers Union also asked Congress, Obama, and President Bush to delay the DTV transition.
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