Feb 5, 2009 12:18 pm US/Eastern
3 On Your Side: DTV Delay - MCOT Grant
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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Countdown graphic to Feb. 17, 2009, the date when television stations nationwide must switch from the old method of transmitting TV signals known as analog to digital television (DTV).
CBS
February 17th. Does the date sound familiar? It should. For the past year we've been telling you that February 17th is when television stations are making the switch to digital. It's been all over the news, it's been on commercials day and night and guess what, you can forget all about that date.
Congress voted to change it. There's been a big debate brewing in Washington. Democrats said the country wasn't ready for the switch. A program set up to help pay for converter boxes ran out of money and the concern was that elderly and low income people would lose their tv signals. Republicans disagreed, saying to change the date so late, would cause more confusion and cost millions of dollars.
Wednesday there was a vote and the democrats won.
The switch to digital is put on pause, moved back by four months to June 12th. Carole Smith from the Mayor's Commission on Technology in Philadelphia says 90% of people in our area were prepared, but not elsewhere.
In fact the Federal Communications Commission just awarded the city a $130,000 grant to expand its education program. Help centers are being set up in each district of the city, to provide assistance in getting converter box coupons and demonstrate how to set the boxes up. "We're going to have a converter box installation team serving each council district," Smith said. That means if you can't do it yourself, they'll do it for you. "We hope to be able to provide assistance in installing converter boxes for 1500 seniors or disabled Philadelphians," Smith added.
Right now, these services will be available through the end of March, but could be extended. "The whole focus is to make sure that our vulnerable populations have the assistance they need," Smith said.
If you live in Philadelphia, you can find out locations and times of the DTV help centers by calling 311.
Meanwhile, if you haven't ordered your converter box coupons yet, you need to do so now. As of Wednesday, there are 3.7 million coupon requests on the waiting list.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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