I'm not one who likes to say, "I told you so," but this would certainly be a situation that calls for it.
An official over at the FCC says that the pending Digital Television change-over is going to be "messy," something I've been anticipating for months now.
On Tuesday, Robert McDowell, a member Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), said that the February 17 switch to DTV is likely to cause consumers problems. Despite a widespread campaign to educate viewers, the end of analog broadcasting could get "messy." In response, the FCC is urging local stations to increase their educational efforts.
Only about 15 percent of American households should be affected by the change-over, as analog-only sets won't be able to receive the digital signal without the purchase of a converter box. Cable and satellite subscribers won't be affected.
[via Reuters]
Only about 15 percent of American households should be affected by the change-over, as analog-only sets won't be able to receive the digital signal without the purchase of a converter box. Cable and satellite subscribers won't be affected.
[via Reuters]
The Independent actually had some stats on its 11/30 front page that indicated that the percentage may actually be less than 15 in the Lincoln/Hastings/Kearney (NE) market. Their story shows that 56.3 percent of viewers have cable and another 32.2 percent are satellite subscribers. That leaves only 11.5 percent analog-only homes in that market...
Sorry to find this post so late. I think the switch will be messy. Going back to the ice storm we had two years ago, it knocked us (NTV) off the air for a while, right during the New Years bowl games. Cable and dish subscribers still got us, but judging from all the calls then, a lot of people still get their TV over the air with an antenna. I would think more than 15 percent of people will be affected. We'll see.