DTV Officially Delayed Until June 12

Finally, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the DTV bill to delay the switchover until June 12.

In what seemed like one big tennis match, the poor little digital TV transition date took a beating until today, passed back and forth from Democrats to Republicans, from the Senate to the House, trying to determine the best course of action for the analog switch off. While an earlier version of the bill ultimately saw rejection weeks ago, the new incarnation won the hearts of government officials, racking in a 264-158 vote in favor of the delay. The bill, singing "I'm just a Bill" (Schoolhouse Rock) with a smile on its face, heads to President Barack Obama for his official signature

"The passage of this bipartisan legislation means that millions of Americans will have the time they need to prepare for the conversion," White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said in a statement.

Indeed, the biggest fear during the whole delay fiasco was that millions of Americans would not be ready this month, especially those who live out in rural areas, minority Americans, the elderly, and those with limited incomes. This group comprises roughly 20 million consumers, 6 million of which would ultimately be left in the dark in the coming weeks. While over-the-air television may not be worth all the full, those who solely rely on over-the-air transmissions would be without important public announcements and emergency information.

What didn't help matters was the depletion of funds for the digital converter box voucher program that quickly went dry, hitting its $1.34 billion funding limit. The new June transition date will now allow Congress more time to speed up the delivery of coupons and issue replacement coupons for the 4+ million consumers currently on the Commerce Department's waiting list. As of January 21, 2009, almost 50 million households have requested the government-funded coupons, with the average daily orders in the last 30 days ranging around 237,000. Currently the government has mailed out 46.5 million coupons, however only 21 million of those coupons have been redeemed. An additional $650 million is currently in the works, part of the economic stimulus proposal working through Congress.

Congress passed legislation in late 2005, requiring U.S. TV stations to move broadcast signals from analog over to digital, freeing up analog spectrum channels between 52 and 69. Most of the cleared spectrum found its way to the auction block in 2007, sold to the likes of AT&T and Verizon who now wait patiently for their airwave stakes. Many experts claim that the spectrum is prime territory for broadband services, and the FCC even claimed to sell the remnants off in order to launch a free, public broadband service.

Still, many still oppose the new June 12 switchover date, saying the delayed transition will only confuse customers. The Republican party even said that many consumers may still not be ready for the transition after the June deadline. "It's difficult to get more than 95 percent of people to do anything," said Representative Lee Terry, a Nebraska Republican.

The same could be said about the United States government.