[Archive 2009-01-19] US Senators push for DTV delay

Historical archive — originally published 2009-01-19. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

One month from the February 17 scheduled transition from analog to digital television broadcast in the United States, members of the United States Senate have introduced a bill that would push back the transition four months later, to June 12. This is due to concerns raised about the government's subsidy program for digital TV receiver boxes, which has run out of money with over 1 million televisions in the United States still running on analog.

The government's subsidy program was set up to provide millions of $40 digital converter boxes to people who could not afford to buy a new television or upgrade to satellite or cable transmission. Many people complained that when they received their coupons, they were not able to use them as they had already expired. Currently, approximately 2 million Americans are on a waiting list to receive coupons for these digital converter boxes.

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