Three Million People Are "Totally Unprepared" For The Digital Transition
We all know the switch to digital transition is next Friday, June 12. Most of us already have cable, or satellite, or digital converters. But not three million Americans, who according to Nielsen, are still "totally unprepared for the transition and will lose their reception."
The government has spent more than $2 billion to ease the transition to digital television, and in the last few months has cut in half the number of households that are unprepared for the final conversion on June 12. But the latest survey by the Nielsen Company indicates that as of the end of May, more than 10 percent of the 114 million households that have television sets are either completely or partly unprepared.
Michael J. Copps, the acting head of the Federal Communications Commission, said that the people most likely to lose reception are society's most vulnerable - lower-income families, the elderly, the handicapped and homes where little or no English is spoken. The transition will also hit inner-city and rural areas hardest, he said.
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke chalks up the disturbing numbers to pure old American laziness. "There are so many people who are always waiting until the last minute, whether it is college students doing term papers, or people filing taxes, or people like me who wait until Christmas Eve to do their shopping," he said.
The government advises people using digital converters to rescan their channels on Friday to make sure all their stories are in the right places. If they're not, or if you have other questions, ring up the government's $40 million hotline at 1-888-CALLFCC.
Last-minute DTV Tips [Consumer Reports]
The Digital TV Transition [FCC]
Millions Face Blank Screens in TV Switch [The New York Times]
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Comments:
How can you be partly unprepared? Don't you either have a converter box or not?
So glad we waited an extra four months. Can we just move on already? When these idiots can't get any more "Bonanza" reruns on their Philco sets, maybe they'll finally figure out something is up.
@hisnameisdre: Seems like if you have more than one tv, you could be partly unprepared. Or maybe have a converter box, but haven't plugged it in yet? Who knows... but it seems like an odd point to nitpick. ;)
Seems like most of the stations in my area went digital already anyway, though, so I'd guess that most people around here are "totally prepared".
lazy, or, of course the government screwed up sending out coupons like the ones my brother registered for since he doesn't have cable. He signed up months ago, when they were "out" of coupons. so he kept checking, and apparently his coupons were finally sent out in March, but he never got them. Unfortunately, since the program is limited to "households", he couldn't reorder them. I just put in an order the other day using my address so that I could give them to him. They're supposed to arrive next week.
I hate how retarded people are when it comes to the 'Digital Transition' its not that F'ing hard! If you watch TV with an antenna buy a converter and plug it between your antenna and TV thats it!
I have cable so I will be unaffected but its getting tiresome hearing night after night about how the transition is too hard for people to understand, if transition is too hard for you maybe you should stick with radio!
Was there really that many people who were still using rabbit ears?
Here's an unpleasant surprise for some DirecTV customers: if they are moving your local satellite to coincide with the transition, and you receive delayed notice (as I did), you may lose local channels anyway. I apparently require a new dish and receivers to pull locals after June 12th, and received notice via mailer June 4th. (Mailer was dated May 22nd.) Earliest service appointment is July 13th. Incredible.
I've refused to buy a converter because so far the prices have been ridiculous. The government coupon program is artificially propping prices up.
I still do. Free OTA HD FTW!
god forbid some fraction of 1% of the population go without TV for whatever amount of time it takes for them to go to the store and buy a converter box
@jopari actually likes the G1, thank you very much.: Same here. What do I need to spend $100/month for TV for?
They have been advertising this for two years. TWO YEARS! You have had two years to take care of this. If they extend it again, guess what will happen? Six months later and they will still be unprepared. Know how change will happen? Make the change and screw them over to make them change. This is absurd.
Come on, you know how people are. Some people just won't move til they are forced to. Make the jump and then worry about helping those left behind.
Oh no! Myrtle is going to miss her stories for a couple of days until her grandson can hitch up her TV!
I'm of the impression that public libraries still lend books for free. I think few will die without their television. Personally, I'm reading Chuck Palaniuk's Lullaby and Dennis Dutton's The Art Instinct instead of watching mine. I also recommend Evil Genes, by Barb Oakley, a fantastic book I just finished. Reads like a documentary! And Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard, set in Venice, California, and featuring the George Clooney bank robber character from "Out of Sight."
I have a converter, but no signal. Still, I am totally prepared. Instead of wasting 2 billion on obsolete technology, the government should have invested in public internet
I am still trying to figure out what the big deal is. No TV? SO WHAT? I recently went one whole year without TV of any sort, as an experiment, and found that I didn't miss it - at all. Recently I gave in and bought an HD set, and if I could ever remember to turn it on, I'd see what's available. Yes, on my rabbit ears.
There is way too much energy wasted on this silliness.
Well it's those 3 million people's loss.
It is just like people doing the taxes at the last minute.
Welcome to the Metric System change over for the 2000s! Remember in the 70s the government said we were all going to be going Metric. Never happened. Granted, TV changing to Digital is different, but what I am referring to is the slow, slow, continuing movement of the deadline to no end-in-sight mentality.
The problem is that no one talks about is that what if you can't get ANY reception, even if you tried EVERYTHING. Getting lifeline cable is easy (if they don't try to upsell you first).
But is there a lifeline equivalent for satellite? The closest to it is DirecTV basic and Dish Network's Family package.
And what about those who do have a Digital Television (most likely a HDTV set) and has the same problem as one with a converter box? Is there a HD equivalent lifeline cable or satellite for them?
"There are so many people who are always waiting until the last minute, whether it is college students doing term papers, or people filing taxes, or people like me who wait until Christmas Eve to do their shopping,"
Funny, that was my impression...oh..FOUR MONTHS AGO!
As far as I can tell, the only people who will suffer from our not being prepared for digital TV are the Bank of Americas, Walmarts, Comcasts, Coke products with HFCS, Sears, firms producing products with BPA, and anyone else who uses TV as an advertising medium.
I am totally offended by this whole HD TV conversion. I live in a very rural part of the country and on a fixed income. I can't afford cable or satellite tv.
I did get the converter box, but it won't pick up any signals. As of June 12 , I will be cut off from breaking news and being fore warned of possibly devastating events such as fires, flooding and catastrohic storms.
In my mind, this yet another way for the government and corporate America to force us to spend money we don't have. A great idea in this horrible economy.
To the 3 million Luddites that are still not ready for the digital transition: you snooze you lose. If you are not ready at this point it is entirely your own fault. Do not come crying when your TV goes blank Friday. Go get a converter box and be done with it. This is NOT rocket science. There are plenty of boxes in the stores at around $50. Even if you don't have a coupon is $50 really that big a deal? Get real.
Not again. Just get it over with. People who are not ready have only themselves to blame.
Come on, lets stop with the 'millions will be ....' canard. Those 3m are impacted only because they can't get off their fat ass and walk over to their PC and mail order a converter.
Cry me a river.
The whole thing was a scam to begin with. No doubt they'll try to delay the whole nonsense yet again.
Boo Hoo. If you are not ready by now then you've proved you simply won't bother until the signals are shut off. I can't wait to hear all the whining that will ensue.
Who cares how many aren't prepared? They'll NEVER be prepared. Once their TV goes blank, they'll whine and complain and drag themselves off the couch to get a converter.
I have a convertere box and to my knowledge our local channel 13 (CBS) just converted early...I can no longer receive it:(
Big deal -
I think most boxes cost about $10 or $20 after the coupon is applied. It only becomes a problem if you have more than 2 TVs that are all on antennas.
@TheHans: What does that have to do with the DTV transition? Broadcast TV and satellite are completely separate.
Oh no! That's ONE PERCENT OF THE POPULATION!!! Somebody think of the children!
Anybody want to make bets on what day this week they decide to extend the transition until September?
@skywatchbob: Sorry to rain on your hate parade, but yes, $50 is a lot of money to some people. And that group probably overlaps with the 3 million people without digital boxes quite a bit. For many people this isn't about whether or not they were lazy, it's just that the government ran out of magic coupons and left a lot of people still wanting one. Nobody (that I know of anyway) is crying about it, but when you can't afford cable to begin with, $50 is a lot.
Well I am not lazy but I and tired and broken. I have bought 2 boxes(50.00) that don't p/u but 3 pbs stations and sometimes a fox. I went and bought new (500.00) digital tv that get 3 pbs and sometimes a cbs and a weather ch. So I went and bought a amplifier (36.00) for antenna. No change. Go and buy a new antenna w/ new cables(125.00). Put new antenna in different spot,ran wires hooked it up and now I'm poor broke, have new equipment and won't be able to watch local news, weather after next weekend. Called sat carrier was told I don't qualify for "local" long distance ch.. Would have to pay and request to get it thru certain stations in my area to get L.A., Atlanta etc... talk to maker of tv about scanning process if I get one of those antennas you can move. would wear t.v. out by rescanning every time I wanted to change channel.So lazy I am not but tired and broke YES! Thank You for hearing me whine!
@Ahoatam: I think it's less the children than the oldsters. And you won't think it's so funny when their Matlock goes off the air and they rise up, with help from their chair, into their walkers and shuffle out into the street. A vast army of blue-haired zombies.
You could also be one of those people unlucky enough to live to far enough away from the signal source where these boxes will be useless without cable, satellite or an additional digital antenna to pick up any of the signals. Not a problem for me because I have cable, but it could be a problem for someone on a tight budget.
Oh goodness, I hope CR doesn't press our Gov for yet another delay. It made no sense to delay it in the first place. If it had been done, I am sure those affected would had been resolved by now. But now, it's going to take some time, during summer, with bad weather.
Good job Consumer Reports!
It's just TV, we don't need it. This isn't a tragedy.
@jopari actually likes the G1, thank you very much.: I'm the same way. When I had cable, I was just using the dvr to watch the shows when I wanted. Now, I save money by using Hulu to do the same thing, and netflix for movies.
So does this mean CR is going to pressure Congress to extend the deadline again?