What Does the DTV Transition Delay Mean?
On February 4, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 264-158 to delay the nation’s transition from analog to digital television broadcasts from February 17 until June 12. The vote followed Senate passage of a similar bill on January 26. The legislation to delay the transition was signed into law by President Obama on February 11.

What does the delay mean for TV broadcasts?
The DTV Delay Act generally allows broadcasters to cut off their analog broadcasts before June 12 if the FCC finds that doing so will not cause interference and is in the public interest. The FCC released a Public Notice setting out the procedures stations must follow if they wish to transition to digital before June 12. At this point, it is unclear how many broadcasters will cease their analog broadcasts prior to June 12. As many as 60 percent of the approximately 1800 stations could without causing interference, and most of the remainder could operate in a manner that allows them to go all digital. However, the FCC is urging broadcasters not to discontinue their analog broadcasts until June 12.

What prompted the delay?
The coupon program being administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to subsidize the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes stopped issuing coupons in early January due to government accounting rules. There are now approximately 3.7 million coupons on the NTIA waiting list. Lawmakers expressed concern that Americans who are waiting for coupons would not be prepared for a February 17 transition.

How is CEA educating consumers about the transition?
CEA has several resources online to help prepare consumers for the DTV transition, including www.digitaltips.org and www.dtvtransition.org. Consumers who need assistance connecting their converter boxes to their televisions can find instructions at www.ceaconnectionsguide.com. Information about antennas is located at www.antennaweb.org.