A Huge Audience for Digital TV converter

Sources say that the coupons of Government discounts is outpacing supply. There is a certain worry on the officials thinking that the people may not be at all aware of the next year’s switch.

In all broadcast TV stations are in preparation to switch to all-digital signals and this will start early next year, sources has it that over 5.3 million U.S. households have been on the chase towards the government to it’s offer of discount coupons for gadgets to prepare themselves and for assurance that their sets will continue getting pictures when it takes place.

Each US household is said to be eligible for at least 2 $40 coupons for the purchase of the converter needed for TV sets that sell for $60 and families had been asking for the maximum. Over 10 million coupons had been requested since January 1 when the program began said The National Telecommunications and Information Administration last Tuesday. Saying the applications have accumulated to about 856,000 of households in California alone.

Meredith A. Baker head of the telecommunications agency has said in a senate hearing, “We’re doing a pretty good job so far, we have a lot more work to be done.”

The consumers should wait a little more longer till manufactures had rolled out their boxes towards retailers like Wal-Mart, Best Buy Co., Stores Inc. to stock them up. Since last Friday the number of coupons that had been redeemed reached 280,128 and around 17,400 in California alone. It had been said that the Government had started sending out the coupons in February and Baker shared that there is a backlog of requests being worked through.

Lawmakers are in worry on the accumulated awareness that the consumers have as many still does not know of the incoming transition early next year and this is accordance to recent polls.

It is said that all full-power TV stations on Feb 17 should start turning off their analog signals and that it will only be broadcasted in digital signal. The new method had promised to give better signals however for those who are still using antennas that does not own new digital sets would need to make a purchase of a converter box or else their screen will go blank.

Sen. Ted Steven says, “We all just pray this works,” who is partially concerned of the rural areas where they rely heavily on antennas.

There are around 20 million homes have only over-the-air signals. Cable and satellite TV subscribers are said to get the new signals through the mentioned system and considerably millions of those homes also have extra sets that uses antennas. It is estimated that in the US there would be around 70 million who might need the converted box for their set.

A summon on Baker and Kevin J. Martin (chairman of the Federal Communications Commission) was made by The Senate Commerce Committee, on Tuesday to update them of the huge transition. The committee chairman Sen. Daniel K. Inouye told Martin that there is a need in consumer awareness and to ensure the smooth transition of this digital signal take over. Saying to conduct the awareness should be top priority of the FCC and the telecommunications agency this year. He has requested monthly updates about this matter.

Martin mentioned that although awareness was rising, private coalition and federal officials led by broadcasters still have a lot of duties to do.

Martin said, “Too many Americans remain confused about what they need to do about the digital transition,”

It is said that these coupons are the key to the transition, that it is the government’s way of easing the pain of this great technology change, which is designed to let go of TV airwaves in favor of public safety and to speed up wireless services such as high-speed internet access.

The government had allocated as much as $1.5 billion to this program in aim to deliver as much as 33.5 million converter box coupons. They are in a process of resembling plastic gift cards, saying that they are being encoded and upon receiving the coupon, it should be used within 90 days. That certain deadline instills worries with Consumer Union due the reason that the product had been so slow to hit the stores. Last Tuesday, the group had urged federal officials to give a longer deadline or if once the coupon had expired that they are able to reapply for a new one.