By Martin H.
Bosworth
ConsumerAffairs.com
September 8, 2008
With the pull of a symbolic 7-foot-tall switch, Wilmington, North Carolina today became the first region of the country to pull the plug on analog over-the-air television signals and switch to an all-digital format. The city with a population just under 100,000 volunteered to be the first test market for the digital television (DTV) transition, scheduled to take place across the country on February 17, 2009.
Wilmington mayor Bill Saffo and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Kevin Martin flipped the switch at noon, as part of a ceremony attended by heads of the local television stations affected by the transition, as well as other officials involved in managing the switchover and watching for potential glitches.
The FCC had aggressively deployed staff and resources in Wilmington to help answer questions and provide information about the DTV transition, as well as supplementing campaigns by local television stations. The agency has been stung by criticism that it has not done enough to facilitate awareness of the change and get consumers the assistance they need.
The Wilmington test market launch came in the middle of a nationwide tour by FCC commissioners and staff to potential "trouble areas" that are largely served by over-the-air television signals, and may experience problems when the switch to digital television occurs.
Television viewers who rely on "rabbit ear" antennae for signals will require a set-top converter box for the new digital signals. Cable and satellite subscribers will be unaffected, but lack of consumer awareness and unscrupulous practices by some retailers have led consumers into buying equipment they don't need, or upgrading to expensive new television sets for no reason.
Reports have claimed that as many as 23 million households may lose television service in the DTV switchover, a disproportionate share of those being elderly, minority, or low-income families. Nielsen estimated there were more than 13 million households in the U.S. with television sets that can only receive analog broadcasts. The greater Wilmington area has about 180,000 television-ready households, approximately 8 percent of which can receive analog-only transmissions.
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps said that Wilmington's flat terrain, coupled with high consumer awareness and the publicity of the test, would not necessarily serve as an accurate test of potential glitches in the transition. He wanted a larger selection of volunteer markets in different regions to determine what might go wrong as the switchover occurs.
Local news reports claimed that sales of the digital television converter boxes had been brisk in the days leading up to the switch, owing to the massive publicity blitz. The government has sponsored a voucher program to subsidize the boxes, offering free $40 coupons through a Web site run by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the other government agency most responsible for overseeing the DTV transition.
The NTIA's coupon program has been criticized for offering no option to renew or replace coupons after they expire, 90 days after they are received. Congress and consumer advocates wanted the deadlines extended, while NTIA said that it would require more money from Congress to beef up the program beyond its current limits.
If you're in Wilmington
The FCC today announced that organizations in each of the five counties have volunteered to assist consumers who have had difficulty obtaining or installing a converter box. The following organizations may be contacted for help:
• Bladen County, call: Bladen County Fire Department/EMS: (910) 862-6760 OR Bladen Family Support Services: 910-647-0743
• Brunswick County, call: Brunswick Senior Resources, (910) 253-2199
• Columbus County, call: Melody Prevatte, Southeastern Community College, (910) 642-7141 ext. 294 OR Kipling Godwin Associates 1-888-514-7775
• New Hanover County, call: In the City of Wilmington: Andrea Good, Fire and Life Safety Educator, City of Wilmington (910)772-4131; The rest of the County: Union Missionary Baptist Church (910) 763-9541 OR New Hanover County Fire Department 910-798-4DTV
• Pender County, call: Donna Pridgen, Administrative Assistant, Town of Burgaw Police Department (910) 663-3463
• For more information call: 1-877-DTV-0908 or TTY: 1-866-644-0908 or visit www.DTVWilmington.com.
