Study Shows 2.2 Million Unprepared for DTV Switch

Starting tomorrow, more than 2 million Americans may be without their favorite TV shows. Instead, they’ll likely see static on when analog broadcast services switch over to digital television.

 

Research firm SmithGeiger, LLC estimated that as of last week some 2.2 million households were still unprepared for the mandated switch to digital TV, according to the Associated Press. The report found that of the 948 households surveyed that relied on antennas, one in eight had not connected a digital TV or digital converter box.

 

Stations will begin cutting their analog signals on Friday morning, but many will wait until the evening, the AP reported. The shutdown of analog broadcast TV signals was originally slated for Feb. 17, but the date was later delayed to June 12. President Barack Obama urged Congress to postpone the switch saying that too many Americans who rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air channels wouldn't be prepared, TMCnet reported.

 

And now less than a day away from the switch, 2.2 million Americans have yet to make the transition, according to SmithGeiger. The Nielsen Co. painted a somewhat darker picture. The firm, which measures TV ratings, estimated the number of unready homes to be 2.8 million, or 2.5 percent of the total television market, the AP said.

 

Both the Nielsen and SmithGeiger surveys count households as unprepared even if they have taken some steps toward getting digital signals, such as ordering a converter box coupon, CNET reported.

 

“We know some viewers will wait until the very last minute, or even after June 12, until they take action," Paul Karpowicz, second vice chair of the television board of the NAB, told the AP.

 

The FCC made a final push last month to persuade consumers replace their TVs with digital units, TMC (News - Alert) reported.

 

But the government is prepared. The Federal Communications Commission reportedly received additional funds to keep call centers operating to handle the anticipated onslaught of consumer inquiries  to 1-888-CALL-FCC (News - Alert) regarding the switch, according to a TMCnet report. Last month, call centers were caught off guard on May 21 when 125 broadcasters temporarily stopped their analog transmissions to spur unprepared viewers into action, resulting in a whopping 55,000 inquiries, Nextgov reported.

 

Owners of older sets that receive over-the-air signals must buy a converter box, replace their TV with a digital TV, or subscribe to satellite or digital cable service. The government ran out of funding for coupons to subsidize converter boxes earlier this year, TMC said. Officials estimated that up to 2 million people have sat on a waiting list at one time.

 

The FCC and the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration distributed 59 million $40 coupons for TV converter boxes. Of that amount, nearly 31 million coupons have been redeemed, according to Department of the Commerce. The coupon program is still operating and consumers can apply for one through July 31.

 

In a statement today, FCC Acting Chairman Michael J. Copps (News - Alert) acknowledged that there will be disruptions with an undertaking of this size.

"We are trying out best to provide people, especially those who are most at-risk, with the help they need to make the switch as smoothly as possible," Copps added. "And we're going to keep offering it after June 12."