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Changing Channels
Nov 30, 2008 (New Haven Register - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
NED HARVEY feels a sense of relief now that two New Haven officials recently answered a pressing question for him about the impending digital television transition that will knock his black-and-white TV out of service on Feb 17, 2009.
"When you get the converter box, you don't need the antenna anymore?" the city resident asked Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and Dwight/West River Alderman Yusuf Shah, D-23, during a recent community meeting at the Dixwell/Newhallville Senior Center about the federally mandated switch from analog to digital format.
Harvey posed a question that is on the minds of many consumers.
The converter boxes, now available for analog television viewers to purchase, plug into the TV set and, along with an antenna, will keep analog sets working after Feb. 17.
Shah encouraged Harvey to request a coupon from the Federal Communications Commission that will help defray the cost for the converter box he plans to buy.
"That's so outdated," he said of a television that still needs rabbit ears for reception.
DeStefano said cable service provider Comcast, which has a service center in New Haven, has asked public officials to help educate consumers about the transition, which can be confusing. "Seniors are a primary group that will be affected and might not know what to do," the mayor said.
In a separate event, at the main branch of the New Haven Free Public Library, FCC Attorney Advisor Lynne Montgomery explained that all full-power television sta- tions must turn off their analog signals by Feb. 18 to comply with provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
"The analog spectrum is being re-dedicated to public safety agencies, she said. Low powered stations are not required to convert.
So, to continue enjoying their favorite TV programming, consumers have several options.
Those who do not have cable or satellite service will have to buy either a converter box or a new TV equipped with a digital tuner.
Converter boxes are sold in retail stores for $40 to $70, but the federal government is allowing all U.S. households to request up to two coupons -- worth $40 -- to be used toward the purchase of up to two converter boxes.
Bart Forbes, public affairs specialist for the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, the federal agency administering the coupon program, said more than 14 million coupons have been redeemed to date.
Coupon requests will be taken through March 31, 2009, but Montgomery warned that the coupons expire 90 days after mailing. "Call the stores ahead of time to see if they have the boxes in stock," she said.
For more information on the coupon program, visit www. DTV2009.gov or call 1-888-DTV-2009.
DeStefano said seniors living on fixed incomes may need the help to offset the cost of the boxes. Shah said that because the coupons are transferable, city residents who may not need them in their households should request them and donate the coupons to senior centers or other organizations
"In case there are people who are confused or couldn't navigate the process in time, this will help them. Television is the No. 1 way people in America get emergency and public safety information. We want to make sure everyone who needs a coupon has them," Shah said.
The latest data available from The Nielsen Co., which conducts media research, shows more than 9 million American households are not ready for the upcoming transition and would be unable to receive any television programming at all if the transition occurred today.
Another 12.6 million households have at least one television set that will no longer work when the digital transition occurs, meaning that nearly one in five U.S. households are either partially or completely unready for the transition.
"We hope this report will help the broadcasting industry and the government as they accelerate their campaign to educate consumers about the need to transition to digital television," Pat McDonough, senior vice president for insights, analysis and policy at Nielsen said in a written statement.
The Hartford and New Haven markets ranked second-most prepared for the transition nationally, according to Nielsen, trailing only The West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce, Fla. market. Houston registered as least prepared.
Kristen Roberts, a spokeswoman for Comcast, said people who subscribe to a cable service would not have to make any changes. "Customers with TVs connected to cable or satellite will not be impacted," she said, adding that Comcast has launched an educational campaign providing information through advertisements, brochures and on its Web site.
For more information on the conversion, call the FCC at (888) 225-5322 or visit www.DTV. gov.
To see more of New Haven Register, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.nhregister.com. Copyright (c) 2008, New Haven Register, Conn.
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