6.5 Million Homes Not Ready for DTV
Nielsen reported today that more than 6.5 million U.S. households (5.7 percent) are not ready for the national switch to digital TV that is less than one month away. These latest numbers mark an improvement of 1.3 million homes from Nielsen’s December report on DTV readiness.
The status of the actual switch to DTV is in a state of flux right now. Earlier this year, the Consumer’s Union (which publishes Consumer Reports) pleaded to have the DTV switch delayed as it would disproportionately affect lower income and those in rural areas. The Obama administration is urging Congress to push the date back because of insufficient support for problems consumers will encounter.
Government funding to provide consumers with the $40 coupons for digital TV converter boxes dried up and the wait list for coupons has now topped 2.5 million people. Democrats in Congress have submitted DTV delay legislation, but so far efforts have been blocked by Republicans.
Nielsen also broke down DTV readiness by ethnicity and found that as of now, the DTV switch will have a greater impact on minorities than it would on white households.
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[...] to offset the costs of a converter box ran out of money and stopped issuing coupons. This leaves about 6.5 million consumers who will see their televisions go dark if the delay goes through (we are assuming all of them are going to pick up coupons). That makes the DTV coupon funding [...]
Senate OKs DTV Delay, Still Needs Money for…
— 10:28 AM on January 23, 2009
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[...] designed to offset the cost of buying a digital converter box. From there we just need to find the 6.5 million consumers who aren’t ready, present them with the coupon, frog-march them to a store and make them buy the box. Then we can [...]
DTV Delay Almost Official | The Click
— 12:27 AM on February 5, 2009
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good notice.