Presently scheduled to shift into action across the United States this coming February 17, the long awaited switch from analogue to digital television broadcasting is on the verge of being pushed back to June 12 amid concerns regarding the preparedness of U.S. consumers.
U.S. Senate looks to delay digital switchover. Image: Rob Crawley/Flickr.
Moreover, Senate representatives appear close to agreement regarding a bill to delay the switchover after a Nielsen Co. report revealed that more than 6.5 million American households would be left staring at blank screens should the February 17 date remain unmoved.
“The shameful truth is that we are not poised to do this transition right,” commented Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller (Democrat – West Virginia), who authored the delay bill. “We are only weeks away from doing it dreadfully wrong,” he warned in an AP report, “ and leaving consumers with the consequences.”
Despite the apparent good sense of a switchover delay, Senate representatives from both the Democrat and Republican camps have reportedly said doing so will confuse consumers, hit TV companies with increased dual broadcasting costs, and cause problems for those businesses and organisations looking to utilise the vacated spectrum space.
However, Rockefeller remains resolute in the defence of his bill, revealing a bipartisan compromise that will enable broadcasters to make the digital switch ahead of the June 12 date (risking the wrath of suddenly isolated consumers), while public safety agencies will be granted spectrum access as and when it is freed up by those broadcasters.
The delay is likely to sit favourably with President Obama, who himself has called for the digital switchover to be postponed after it emerged the U.S. Commerce Department had reached its $1.34 billion funding limit for providing assistance to analogue consumers in need of digital conversion equipment.
Rockefeller’s bill is due to pass through the Senate in the next few days before then being passed on for deliberation in the House.
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