FCC Answers DTV Questions

COLUMBUS, Ohio—With the clock ticking toward the Feb. 17 deadline for TV broadcasters to shut off their analog signals and go entirely digital, analysts said more than 6.5 million households are not ready.

NBC 4 reported with the FAST FACTS.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) planned to hold an information session in Columbus.

You can attend a question-and-answer session at 11:30 a.m. Monday at the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts at 77 S. High St.

A demonstration on how to install a converter box was scheduled, too.

Congress appeared poised to postpone the transition to June - but a delay could bring its own problems.

To avoid blacking out TV sets in unprepared homes next month, the Obama administration is seeking the delay to give the government more time to fix a subsidy program that has run out of money for coupons that help consumers pay for digital converter boxes for older TVs.

Senate Democrats late Thursday reached a deal with skeptical Republicans on a bill to push the digital transition to June 12, setting the stage for a vote early next week. The House is likely to move quickly after the Senate acts.

But one big problem with extending the transition, critics warned, was that many TV viewers could be confused. A delay could also be expensive for broadcasters. And it could burden public safety agencies and wireless companies waiting for the airwaves that will be freed by the shutdown of analog signals.

The Associated Press contributed information to this story.

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