DigitalTvTransition
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Colombia to start testing 700MHz LTE, joins a Latin American trend in 4G
Those in the US can brag about having the range, indoor friendliness and other advantages of 700MHz LTE, but few other countries have that edge so far: Latin Americans who have any LTE at all usually have to contend with less tolerant 2.6GHz bands. Colombia isn't happy with that state of affairs, and its National Spectrum Agency is spearheading a rapidly growing 4G movement in the region by testing 700MHz LTE between the fall and winter. Its strategy echoes proposals from Brazil and Mexico that will use the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity band plan, providing more efficient airwaves as well as wider device and network coverage. It will take beyond early 2013 before Colombia and its neighbors are actively using 700MHz bands -- the digital TV transition is one of the bigger obstacles -- but there's desires for a fast-track spectrum handout that could bring blazing speeds to Bogota before too long. [Image credit: Kinori, Wikipedia]
Digital TV transition: 12 hours in, how are things going?
The day is finally here, after the pushback and staggered changeover, analog television broadcasts across the country are giving way to a future of digital TV and making room for new services to take over the airwaves soon. Still, after months of announcements, coupons sent and many dollars spent there are still millions who will be caught unawares as their television blinks off today. It's been an incredibly long time coming, so take a look back at some of our coverage of the run up to the digital TV switch, and why not drop us a line to let us know of any interesting local coverage in your area or experiences (procrastination-fueled runs on converter boxes, transition gaffes, mob violence) going on. A roundup of FCC links and national press coverage is after the break.Engadget's lead-up coverage: T-minus one year till the US analog shutoff: are you ready? The original DTV transition: what could've been President Obama signs DTV delay bill into law Digital TV transition spoof video is both informative and hilarious Wilmington, NC kills analog dead as broadcasters go all-digital
Will the DTV transition get more people watching OTA television?
With mere hours separating us from an analog TV broadcast-free existence, Harris has released poll results indicating many may switch to free OTA broadcasts, shutting off their current cable and satellite subscriptions. The way we see it, the 55 percent indicating they were either somewhat or very likely to switch to antenna probably represent many people who are only just finding out you can get HDTV without paying for service -- not to mention those who are paying and not even watching high definition at all. Still, with the channels available on digital TV broadcasts plus online streaming, there's a lot more choices, anyone else stepping back from their pay-TV habit?
Another 158 analog TV stations flip to digital only
Another one (hundred and fifty-eight) bites the dust, as they say. With the newly established June 12th cutover date looming, another 158 TV stations across America have decided that enough is enough. In a new list that was sent over the FCC this week, we're told that another swath of stations intend to shut off their analog signals prior to the mandatory June 12th cutover date. For what it's worth, the majority of the 158 are in smaller markets and don't broadcast any of the four major commercial networks, but we wouldn't be shocked to hear of more of this as more and more stations grow tired of waiting around.
DTV coupons begin flowing once more, waitlist should vanish in 3 weeks
For all of you still waiting for a little governmental assistance in buying that DTV converter box that you should've purchased months ago (we kid... a little), we've excellent news. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is overseeing the program, has announced that it has finally begun to ship $40 vouchers towards the purchase of these very boxes once more. The waitlist has grown some 4.1 million deep since the subsidy program ran dry back in January, but the agency is hoping to have that cleared within three weeks. Of course, you better not procrastinate on your second chance -- who knows how quickly the $650 million it has left will last.[Image courtesy of BreakItDownBlog]
DTV call center successfully handles influx of confused callers
Given that the expectation was for hordes of confused TV viewers to phone in over the past two days in order to ask why their local OTA station was suddenly unavailable, it's no shock to see a big deal made of successfully managing through it. For those unaware, 421 stations decided to go ahead with their originally planned DTV transition date of February 17th, and we're told that over 28,000 perplexed Americans dialed 1-888-CALL-FCC on Tuesday for assistance in getting their sets working. The call center was setup to handle around 100,000 calls on the day that US broadcasters were previously scheduled to go from analog to digital, but obviously, far fewer people either a) cared or b) needed help. See, that wasn't so bad, was it?
The original DTV transition: what could've been
Exactly one year ago today, we sat as prepared as ever to embrace the forthcoming world of digital TV. After February 17th, no longer would Americans have to suffer through yet another poor analog broadcast, and no longer would we have to wait for all that spectrum to be freed up for much more spectacular things. With just a year to go, we laid out a simple six-step program that would help confused TV watchers ensure that they would be ready on the seventeenth day of February, the year two-thousand and nine. Fast forward to this very moment, and confusion about the cutover is still rampant. In fact, the cutover hasn't even happened. Well, it sort of has. Ahh... see what we mean? Come along after the break, it gets crazier.
President Obama signs DTV delay bill into law
No way Obama was going to veto this after driving it all the way through Congress, but technically, the digital TV delay wasn't actually official until now. Late today, America's President signed his name onto the bill which will delay the digital TV transition from February 17th to June 12th, though a provision allows stations to switch over beforehand should they choose. In fact, hundreds of stations still plan to kill analog later this month, as they've been planning towards that date for years now. Honestly, we can't figure out what the purpose of this is. Unless there's more cash for the currently dry voucher program tucked away somewhere in that mind-bogglingly large "stimulus package," delaying the pain won't solve a thing. Though it will confuse the hell out of people, so there's that.
Poll: Do you agree with the DTV transition delay?
We've already expressed our feelings on the matter, but now we're tossing the question out for you readers to debate: are you kosher with the DTV transition delay? Even if it ends up costing taxpayers millions more dollars? We've heard very convincing arguments from both sides of the table, and while we'd prefer you all put partisanship aside and debate the matter based on principle alone, we aren't holding our breath. So, should we delay this thing in order to get more people prepared? Or should things have continued as planned in order to teach lollygaggers a lesson? %Poll-26020%
Senate okays another digital TV transition delay
Just to make sure that the digital TV transition gets delayed, the US Senate has approved another measure to postpone the transition date until June 12 and sent it on its way to the House of Representatives. If the House's mere indication that the delay would go through didn't dash our hopes of analog-free airwaves next month, the quick-fire nature of this second bill certainly did. Essentially the same as the first proposal, this version with minor edits cleared the Senate unanimously. With the House in recess until next week, we'll have to wait for any movement, but it's looking like we'll be stuck with analog for a while longer. Hopefully, this whole mess will be resolved, because the longer it goes on, the more people will become confused, and maybe join the 22-percent of Americans who are planning to give up on TV altogether.
Qualcomm could suffer from digital TV transition delay
We're honestly beginning to wonder: can Qualcomm catch a break? Between the years of fighting with Nokia and the absolutely abysmal MediaFLO adoption rate, we're seriously beginning to consider that a Qualcomm curse isn't too far from the realm of possibility. With the announcement this week that the impending digital TV transition could be pushed from late February to June 12th (though it looks as if the House has halted those plans for now), Qualcomm has begun to wail. In essence, this delay -- should it still go down -- will force the firm to continue paying fees to broadcasters in order for it to have almost immediate access to vacated analog waves as soon as the cutover takes place. The tab? COO Len Lauer says it'll be in the "tens of millions of dollars," and that's not counting lost revenue that it was surely expecting to pick up between March and June. Here's hoping one of those "breaks" finally catches up with it here.
Digital TV transition delay bill fails to pass in House
In an absolutely shocking move, the United States House of Representatives has failed to pass the digital TV transition delay bill that was all but certain to fly through just days ago. The bill needed two-thirds of the votes of the House under "special rules adopted for the vote," and reportedly, the vote was just 258 to 168 in favor of changing the date. As it stands, an estimated 6.5 million Americans are not yet prepared for the switch -- which is now back on track for February 17th -- and the money well for government-issued vouchers has ran dry. Honestly, we're elated to hear the news. The February date has been blasted from the rooftops for years now, and changing it this late in the game would wreak all kinds of havoc in the industry, not to mention instill even more confusion. Soon-to-be-vacated airwaves, we're ready for you. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Senate okays digital TV transition delay to June 12th
We knew it was bound to happen, and sure enough, it's happening. For the millions of Americans still waiting for their $40 voucher before buying one of those newfangled DTV converter boxes, the US Senate has just given its stamp of approval on providing them a four month reprieve as it attempts to get its act together. Oddly, there's no mention of Congress looking for new sources of funding, though we are told that consumers holding expired coupons can now request new ones. We suspect more details will flow out on all of this soon, but for now, you can bank on the digital TV transition -- originally scheduled to go down on February 17th -- now occurring on June 12th. Until it changes again, of course.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Digital TV transition postponement all but certain
We're actually having a hard time believing this ourselves, but word on the street has it that the Senate is "on the verge of passing a bill that would delay until June the date when TV stations must broadcast in all-digital format." Without Congressional action, all TV stations will switch off their analog signals on February 17th -- a date that has been blasted out to the general populace for years now. The issue is that millions of Americans are currently on a waiting list for one of those $40 vouchers, and evidently it'll take a few more months to get additional funding and clear the backlog. It's expected that the new switchover date will soon become June 12th, and you can find all the fine print just down there in the read link.[Via TVWeek, thanks Vanbrothers]
Hawaii activates DTV transition early: it's for the birds
We'd say there's just a month left before most of the USA switches off its analog signals in favor of digital, but given the whole voucher fiasco, that may end up being inaccurate. Whatever the case, the wonderful state of Hawaii has decided to get a jump on everyone else by going digital this past week. The reason? Broadcasters and park rangers wanted to ensure that analog transmission towers on the slopes of Maui's Haleakala volcano (pictured) were down before the nesting season of the dark-rumped petrel. As expected, hundreds of calls have been pouring in from unprepared residents, but it seems that officials are taking it all in stride and helping frustrated viewers get the converter boxes they need. For the birds, it's all worth it.
Additional funding on the way for the digital TV switch?
Further clouding the digital TV transition picture, House of Representatives Democrats are pursuing $650 million to get the coupon program restarted. We'll have to see what the Senate agrees to, but it appears there will be some additional money heading to the transition program's way. Does that mean things will take place as scheduled February 17? We'll just have to wait and see, .pdf link to the proposal here.[Thanks, Stephan]
HTSA recommends June 1st as new DTV transition date, no one notices
Oh, brother. Have we really come to the point where just any random agency can chime in with recommendations for the FCC and expect to be taken seriously? As the NTIA, FCC and Congress wrestle with delaying / not delaying the forthcoming digital TV transition, the Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA) has pumped out a recommendation that the FCC consider delaying the cutover until June 1, 2009. According to Richard Glikes, executive director of HTSA: "An extra three and a half months will allow more time for the government to work through issues with the coupon program and get converter boxes to the people who need them; this extra time will prevent any missteps that might occur once the analog TV transmissions are stopped." Right, because changing the date a month before the scheduled switch (February 17, 2009) is so not confusing at all. The full release is after the break.
Digital TV subsidy program nearly dry: get your vouchers now
When the FCC's Kevin Martin asserted that the 2009 digital TV transition subsidy program was nearing the end of its financial rope back in October, no one really paid him any mind. After all, this ain't the FCC's gig. Now, however, an AP report on the topic is confirming the fears, noting that the NTIA itself is "warning that unless lawmakers step in quickly with more funding or new accounting rules, it will have to create a waiting list for coupon requests." Should this occur, new vouchers would only be sent out once previously mailed vouchers expired without being used. As of now, only $68.2 million of the $1.34 billion set aside for this program remains free, and after February 17th comes and goes, you can bet the interest will skyrocket. Moral of the story? Get your request in now if you're in need (check here to see if you are).[Via ShellyPalmerMedia] Update: The well is dry! Yikes!
FCC proposes Analog Nightlight Act to keep old spectrum on 30 day life support
As most of you know by now, February 17 is the cutoff date for analog television in the US... or is it? The FCC has proposed the Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act (SAFER -- get it?), a.k.a. the Analog Nightlight Act, which lets full-power TV stations keep broadcasting on the antiquated spectrum for 30 days after the DTV transition. The idea came from a similar program used with Wilmington, North Carolina's early shutoff back in September. Of course, the proposed programming is a bit dry -- public safety messages and information on the transition -- but we hear the finale will rival The Sopranos' sendoff. Hit up the read link and see if any of your local stations are on the list of proposed nightlights.[Via Ars Technica]
Officials urging new TV buyers to not junk their analog sets
Earlier this week we discussed the pros and cons of picking up a new digital tuner-equipped TV or simply throwing a DTV converter onto the analog set you already own. Needless to say, quite a few individuals across America will be choosing the former option, which creates quite the issue: where are all of those old sets going to go? Early on, surveys showed that people were most likely to resell it, donate it or recycle it, but we all know how easy it is to utter the politically correct response when under the microscope. In reality, there's a great chance that a large quantity of analog TVs will end up in the dump, and officials are making an eleventh hour push to encourage individuals to recycle their screen rather than clog up a nearby landfill. Given that we live here too, we'd also like to encourage the act of recycling if you're planning on ditching the old for something new -- wouldn't want the DTV conversion to be the start of the Apocalypse or something.
