Washington Post picks up on Converter Box SNAFU, a few weeks too late.

By
Andrew
on April 12, 2008 11:08 AM | | Comments (6237) | TrackBacks (2)
We hoped the major media outlets would get to it eventually, and the Post has finally done it. Sort of. 

Remember how last month we reported that most DTV Converter boxes wouldn't work for rural consumers because they don't have a "pass-through" for the "Class A" broadcasters that don't have to switch to digital next year? We also reported that it's illegal and there's a lawsuit pending.

That would be news, right? Well, the closest the Post gets is a brief mention of how the coupons expire 90 days after issue (we don't have ours yet) and many of the boxes that "work right" aren't on the market.

About 10 million coupons have been ordered through the agency, and about 3.8 million coupons have been sent to consumers, according to the NTIA. But only about 1 percent of the coupons have been redeemed. By law, the coupons expire 90 days after they are issued.

That mandated expiration poses a problem for Spence Haynes, who lives in Salisbury, Md. His coupon expires next month, but the box he wants -- a $40 box made byEchoStar -- is not expected to hit shelves until summer.

He also wants a box that can still receive the analog signals from some community broadcasters, which are not yet required to switch to digital programming. Federal officials said several boxes already have this capability, and they expect more to be available soon.

"I just want to make sure I have access to all the options out there before these coupons turn into pumpkins," Haynes said.


Also noted in the article is the fact that unlike traditional TV signals, which degrade and give "snow" before they fade out entirely, either you get a digital signal or you don't, the so-called "cliff effect." This has some lawmakers from big states with lots of spread out people worried. When K-Mart went to the Senate last week, he got called out on it by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN):

At a hearing Tuesday, members of the Senate Commerce Committee expressed concern that consumers, especially those living in rural areas, may lose some programming. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) worried that people who live far from broadcast towers may have trouble receiving the digital signal, even with a converter box.

"They're going to think they did everything right and then get no signal," Klobuchar said.

Kevin J. Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and Meredith Baker, acting assistant secretary of the NTIA, assured senators that their agencies' awareness efforts have been effective.

Baker said consumers shouldn't have a problem receiving the signals if they reposition their antennas. She also said not all converter boxes were required to receive analog signals because such a feature could degrade the picture quality and increase the cost.

The law doesn't care about Mr. Haynes fairy godmother, and neither does K-Mart or the Acting head of the NTIA (since everyone who gets that job quits). They say everything is hunky-dory, right? 

And as far as assuring senators that their agencies awareness efforts have been "effective," how does he explain the dismal survey numbers, or their latest hairbrained scheme to put DTV transition information next to Wanted Posters at the Post Office or in waiting rooms at the DMV?

This is really approaching pathetic. Why isn't anyone criticizing the FCC or NTIA for pretty much dropping the ball and leaving this up to the TV industry, who would much rather you shell out a few hundred on a new TV than get a converter? I mean, even the Post admits that the Big Boxes, fresh off their last set of fines, are only stocking one or two coupon eligible boxes per store, to say nothing of the ones that have the analog pass-through if you happen to live in a rural area or speak spanish. 

Anyone else just ready to wait for the storm? 

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