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FCC's Adelstein: DTV Transition "Not Ready for Prime Time"

Commissioner urges quick action even with reset deadline

By Martin H. Bosworth
ConsumerAffairs.Com

February 9, 2009
Even with the recent delay of the digital television transition to June 12, The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Jonathan Adelstein urged communities around the country to work fast in informing each other about the switchover, saying that the transition had been mishandled by the Bush administration and was "not ready for prime time."

"There were no field offices set up to help communities," Adelstein told an audience at Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Los Angeles today, the second of three stops on a whirlwind tour of the greater Los Angeles area to spread the word about the transition. "This is the biggest switch since the advent of color television, and we have to make sure people aren't left behind," he said.

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein talking to church staff outside the Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Photo by Martin H. Bosworth.

Adelstein had harsh words for the Bush administration, saying that "it didn't handle this right," and did not inform Congress that the converter box coupon program administered through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) was running out of money until it was nearly too late.

"We have a backlog of 2 million people waiting for coupons, and the list is growing every day," Adelstein said.

Adelstein said the Obama administration was committed to ensuring that low-income, minority, and elderly citizens would not be left behind and without television service after the transition. "People need this for emergency information, and for many people, changing television antennae or other technical work is difficult," he said.

The four-month delay would give churches and other community centers the chance to spread the word more quickly and address problems with the transition, said Adelstein, such as the converter box program's rules precluding the sending of coupons to nonresidential addresses.

The digital television transition has become a hot political football in recent months, with Democrats and Republicans pointing fingers over the various technical problems and misinformation surrounding the changeover from analog over-the-air television signals to digital.

Even with a publicity push from the FCC, many consumers remain confused about what equipment they need for receiving digital signals on their televisions. The weak economy has also led many cash-strapped families to cut cable or satellite television service, contributing to an increase in demand for the converter box coupons.

With just weeks remaining before the original February 17 switchover date, at President Obama's urging, Congress voted to delay the transition while more funding for the coupon program and educational efforts was added to the massive economic stimulus package, which was expected to pass the Senate on February 10.

Many large television markets, such as Los Angeles, will likely put their transition efforts on hold in order to increase awareness, Adelstein told ConsumerAffairs.Com after the workshop, but regions that are already prepared for the switchover can go ahead.

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