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7% Not Ready for Digital TV Switch
With switch due Feb. 17, estimated 7% aren't prepared; feds' coupon program shaky
By Jim O'Neill
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Posted Dec 22, 08 8:59 AM CST
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(Newser)
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With US television’s transition from analog to digital broadcasting less than two months away, officials are worried that consumers still don’t have the signal-converter box, the Wall Street Journal reports. An estimated 7% aren’t prepared, and Congress, which authorized $1.34 billion for coupons to help consumers pay for the boxes, is worried that amount might not be enough.
The switch to digital is set for Feb. 17. Some 20 million homes that receive free, over-the-air signals will need converter boxes—which cost between $40 and $60—as will 15 million more who have digital cable or satellite service but use a spare TV. Almost 17 million coupons—worth $40—already have been issued.