April 2008

Are You Ready for the Digital Television (DTV) Transition?

Dear Friend,

Big changes are coming soon to a television near you. Next February, all full-power television stations will be required to stop broadcasting an analog signal and begin broadcasting in digital only. This is known as the DTV transition. Many people are wondering why.

First, moving all television programming to the digital spectrum will free up the analog signal spectrum for use in police, fire and emergency rescue communication. It will also allow for new wireless services for consumers. In addition, since the digital spectrum is more efficient than analog — each band can actually carry several signals at the same time — stations can broadcast several programs instead of just one. This means broadcasters can offer consumers more choices. Digital also allows broadcasters to offer improved picture and sound quality, including high definition (HDTV) programming.

It is also important to know that the end of analog broadcasting does not mean you have to run out and buy a new TV, and you certainly don’t need an HDTV to watch digital broadcasts. Many television viewers in Hawaii already subscribe to paid television services, such as cable or satellite TV, to get a strong signal among our mountains and valleys,. If you do, you won’t need a digital-to-analog converter box, and the TVs connected to your paid service will continue to receive local broadcast programming.

But, if you currently receive over-the-air programming on an analog television using a roof-top antenna or “rabbit ears” on your set, you will need a digital-to-analog converter box to continue watching broadcast television on that set. These boxes cost approximately $40 to $70, and are available at most electronics stores.

To help defray the cost of digital-to-analog converter boxes, each U.S. household can request up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to be used toward the purchase of eligible boxes. This coupon program is being administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). For more information on the coupon program visit http://www.dtv2009.gov/ or call 1-888-DTV-2009.

For more information on the Digital Television Transition, call the FCC at 1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322) or visit their DTV Web site at http://www.dtv.gov/.

 

Aloha,

Neil Abercrombie

Member of Congress