In the end, a bad brew of poor planning and politics led Congress to delay the nation’s transition to all-digital television signals by three months to June 12. In the poor planning column: An underfunded coupon program to help pay for analog converter boxes; public outreach in some markets that raised...
As the House readies to vote next week on delaying the digital TV transition to June 12, the number of converter-box coupon requests on hold is continuing to grow. The Department of Commerce Web site says that as of Jan. 28, requests for 3.2 million coupons are on hold, up from the 2.6 million reported...
In what may be a hint that the date for the digital TV conversion date will be postponed past Feb. 17, a House of Representatives panel is proposing that any new government stimulus plan include a 50% increase in funds available for analog-to-digital converter box coupons. The committee released its...
As crunch time approaches in the country’s switch to all-digital television signals, Meredith Atwell Baker is in the middle of the maelstrom. As the person heading up the coupon program subsidizing converter boxes for analog TV owners at risk of losing their signals on Feb. 17, Ms. Atwell Baker is in...
The National Telecommunications & Information Administration predicts that the federal government’s funds for DTV converter vouchers could run out by the end of January, just a few weeks short of the official analog shutdown, unless the NTIA receives more funds. NTIA’s acting assistant secretary...