Congressman Cohen Votes to Postpone DTV Transition

“It’s become painfully clear that the federal effort to assist people with the DTV transition has been insufficient,” said Congressman Cohen. “I don’t want anyone in the 9th District to get left in the dark on February 18, and that’s why I was glad that my colleagues and I were able to vote this bill through in time. The DTV transition disproportionately impacts low-income and elderly Americans, and we need to give them enough time to prepare for the changeover.”

The enactment of this bill will provide time to get coupons for digital television converter boxes to the millions of American households who are on the waiting list. Without this delay, millions of Americans may see their televisions “go dark” on February 18, 2009. The Nielsen Company estimates that there are 6.5 million households (6 percent) that will lose all TV reception if the February deadline remains in place.

According to the Commerce Department data, in just the last two business days, the size of this waiting list has grown by 200,000 households. There are now more than two million households on the waiting list for coupons. In the 9th District, there are 5,223 households on the waiting list as of February 2, 2009.

The Obama Administration has echoed the call for this delay – with transition co-director John Podesta writing, "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."

Among its several provisions, the Senate-passed bill (S. 352):

• Delays the transition by 115 days and extends the license terms of the commercial and public safety entities that will use the DTV spectrum after the transition by a corresponding number of days.
• Permits consumers who never redeemed coupons to apply for replacement coupons, while ensuring that no household can redeem more than two coupons.
• Expressly preserves broadcasters’ ability to transition before the new transition date, if such a move does not interfere with another broadcast signal. The Act makes clear that the existing FCC rules and regulations concerning interference and consumer education will continue to apply.
• Expressly preserves the ability of public safety entities to use the DTV spectrum before the new transition date, subject to existing FCC rules.

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Contact:
Marilyn Dillihay, Press Secretary, 202-225-3265
Charlie Gerber, Communications Assistant, 202-225-3265