U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday passed legislation to delay the pending digital TV conversion to June 12, 2009. The measure already passed the Senate, and is backed by President Obama. The switch has been scheduled for February 17th.
The delay measure is pushed by an apparent 20 million people who have yet to act on the conversion of analog over the air broadcasts to digital. Such conversion would involve buying a converter box, buying a new TV, or having cable or satellite service. Reportedly, about 13 million people have expired $40 coupons and after a period, the expired coupons would be reissued. Last month it was announced the allocated funds for converter coupons had been met. There is a substantial waiting list for people who decided to wait until the last minute to apply.
The move will likely cause much confusion with the viewing public who have been told on a daily basis of the pending move for over a year. The bill allows stations still move forward with their switch, and it's estimated as much as 20% will do so. Broadcasters have made a substantial investment for the conversion, and have had plans in place for some time to remove and in some cases sell equipment. On top of that, they have been paying the electric bill for the additional broadcasts.
