Obama Team Urges Delay of DTV Transition

January 8, 2009

By Jennifer Hull

President-elect Barack Obama is asking Congress to delay the date of the nation's transition from analog to digital television, currently scheduled for February 17, because the incoming administration believes many consumers currently watching analog television sets will not be ready to receive digital broadcasts.

Obama Request Follows DTV Coupon Program Running Out of Money

The request to postpone the transition date came in the form of a letter to key lawmakers from John Podesta, co-chair of the Obama transition team. In the letter, Podesta noted that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) -- the Commerce Department agency which oversees the DTV converter box coupon program - has run out of funding for coupons which allow consumers to purchase analog-to-digital converter boxes at discounted prices. Consumers will now be placed on a waiting list to receive coupons when funds from expired coupons become available. The Obama team is concerned that at-risk Americans in rural, poor, and minority communities will be most strongly affected by the delay in receiving coupons.

"With coupons unavailable, support and education insufficient, and the most vulnerable Americans exposed, I urge you to consider a change to the legislatively mandated analog cutoff date," Podesta wrote.

The request from the Obama team came one day after the Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, also urged Congress to delay the transition because of the lack of coupon program funding.

National Association of Broadcasters Makes Statement on DTV Postponement

Dennis Wharton, vice president of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), an advocacy association for the nation's television stations, released the following statement in light of Podesta's letter to Congress: "The certainty created when Congress set the February 17 hard date for the DTV transition was a positive catalyst for broadcasters, manufacturers, retailers, public safety groups, consumers, and the government. NAB and broadcasters nationwide are committed to being ready by February 17 and strongly support a solution that would enable the government to continue making converter box coupons available to consumers who rely on free television. We continue to urge Congress to act swiftly to ensure coupons are made available for those who need them."

Because the date for the digital television switch was mandated by the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005, Congress must pass a new law in order to postpone the February 17 date.