FCC Says Problems Remain for DTV Switchover

Interim Federal Communications Chairman Michael Copps warned the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet that the scheduled transition from analog to all-digital television on June 12 "will not be seamless."

The switchover was originally scheduled for Feb. 17, but was delayed nearly four months in response to widespread concerns that significant numbers of consumers were not ready for the change and would lose their television signal. Numerous congressmen noted that the coupon program set up to help consumers buy converter boxes ran out of money long before every eligible household received a converter.

The switch to digital television signals won't affect consumers who receive television signals through cable or satellite. Nonetheless, an estimated four percent of the country could be without television unless a converter box is added between now and mid-June.

More Money for DTV

In his testimony, Copps conceded that the FCC under the leadership of Republican Kevin Martin reacted too slowly before the original deadline.

"I think the FCC and others did begin to act with more urgency starting in the middle of 2008, largely in response to congressional oversight," Copps conceded. "But by then it was obviously too little, too late. The late start led to a rushed effort with little room for strategic thinking or for anticipating and fixing problems that arose."

Together, Congress and the Obama administration have put substantial new financial resources into the problem. The last round of stimulus funding injected another $650 million into the coupon program, which cleared up an existing backlog of requests and provided funding for up to 12 million additional coupons.

In addition, the FCC is planning to devote $90 million of its own budget to making the planned switchover as smooth as possible. It's currently reaching out to a variety of advocacy groups, ranging from...