If you’re still clueless about Friday’s DTV transition, then I’m not sure what’s wrong with you. Get a converter box, subscribe to cable, call 1-888-CALL-FCC, stare blankly at that analog nightlight, but don’t say we didn’t warn you.
For those of us who have read a newspaper in the past year, Thursday was a flurry of last-minute reports, statements, and predictions about tomorrow’s big switch from analog to digital signals. Here’s the run-down.
GOP Reps Calls Shenanigans on Delay
Not everyone is excited about June 12. Reps. Joe Barton of Texas and Cliff Stearns of Florida – both of whom opposed the delay from Feb. 17 to June 12 – penned a letter to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps that suggested the delay was simply a waste of taxpayer money.
The stimulus package allocated $650 million for the converter box program, $90 million of which could be used for outreach purposes.
According to NTIA data, Commerce has $250 million to cover 6.2 million converter box coupons. “If that is so, why was it necessary to delay the transition and allocate another $650 million in the stimulus package for DTV?” the congressmen wrote.
Meanwhile, of the 3.6 million coupons redeemed with stimulus funds, 900,000 of them were from unprepared households, the letter said.
“Doing the math, $650 million in stimulus funds to reach 900,000 unprepared homes comes to more than $700 per unprepared household for a $50 device. Does that sound like a sensible expenditure of taxpayer dollars?” they wrote.
The congressmen also asked for detailed information on how Commerce and the FCC spent the money allocated by the stimulus package.
Officials: Expect Disruptions
Financial inquiries aside, officials at the FCC and Commerce were ready to go, but warned users that confusion and problems will happen tomorrow, no matter what.
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