Many in the dark about TV switch: U.S. lawmakers

By Stephanie Beasley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Not enough is being done to let American consumers know that soon they will be unable to watch their favorite shows on their old television sets because they can't receive the new digital signals, U.S. lawmakers said on Thursday.

"The time to act is now -- before the digital transition devolves into a digital disaster," Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat, said at a panel hearing on public readiness for the switch.

U.S. television stations are required to switch to digital only broadcasts by February 17, 2009. People who do not own digital sets will need to buy a converter box or subscribe to digital or satellite cable to be able to watch television.

An estimated 20 million households still rely on analog televisions that receive free over-the-air broadcasts.

Coupons worth $40 toward the purchase of a converter box will be available to people with traditional broadcast televisions starting in January, John Kneuer, assistant secretary of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, an agency of the Commerce Department said.

Industry experts estimate the cost of a converter box could range from $50 to $60. The coupons will be available from the NTIA by request and eligible homes can obtain up to two.

Kneuer and Cathy Seidel, chief of consumer and governmental affairs for the Federal Communications Commission, said that they are working with other organizations to target specific communities that are less likely to know about the transition.

Sen. Gordon Smith, an Oregon Republican, and others expressed concern about the elderly being able to make the switch and possibly falling victim to scams.

"I really think that needs to be the focus of your efforts," Smith told Kneuer.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, suggested a tried and true method of preparing the public for the change.

"It's not hard to educate the United States of America -- it's called: 'You do it over television.'"