House: You Will Go Digital on Feb. 17 and You Will Like It

January 28, 2009 at 2:37 pm PT

Looks like the transition to digital TV will happen on Feb. 17 whether you like it or not.

The U.S. Senate voted unanimously Monday to delay the nation’s transition to all-digital television. Arguing that a major economic crisis might not be the best time for a congressionally-mandated switch, legislators pushed the mandatory conversion date from Feb. 17 to June 12.

But the U.S. House of Representatives didn’t buy that argument. Today, it torpedoed the legislation, saying a delay like the one proposed would confuse consumers and be a burden to wireless companies and public safety agencies waiting to use the spectrum the transition will free up. “In my opinion, we could do nothing worse than to delay this transition date,” said Joe Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the House Commerce Committee. “The bill is a solution looking for a problem that exists mostly in the mind of the Obama administration.”

Tagged with: administration, consumers, conversion, digital TV, economic crisis, House Commerce Committee, House of Representatives, Joe Barton, John Paczkowski, legislation, Obama, Republican, spectrum, Texas, U.S. Senate, wireless

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vicki willard

Why don’t they just extend the “expiration” date on the existing coupons so they can be used? And, ask people who decided to get cable or satellite (I know several) to take their coupons to one of the stores that sell the required boxes.