Cries for Delay on DTV

Did I call this or what? I alluded to a possible meltdown in the transition here back this time last year. I avoided the rush and put my marker down early.

So what do we hear coming from various corners? Tales of woe, lack of money, and an unprepared landscape. –

Billed as perhaps the greatest leap in television since “living color,” the transition to digital TV is a mere 39 days away, and in serious trouble: millions of households still aren’t ready for the conversion and a government program created to subsidize the hardware needed by many has run out of money.

Broadcasters want to stick to D(igital)-Day: Feb. 17, as decreed by Congress in back 2005. But some in Washington say we should take more time to ensure that so many of the nation’s TV screens don’t go snowy at the flick of that switch.

[Snicker. So much for Change.]

But that isn’t all, but coming from Obama its enough, but others like Consumers Union, and some broadcast types are asking for delay as well. It sounds painless in principle that a delay of a year for DTV would hurt no one. Well not quite. Keep in mind that the broadcasters have to get off the frequencies for the like of Verizon and AT&T to start deploying 3G services on those bands. Not only that but it would impact any possible deployment of the ‘D’ band for first responders when that comes back up for auction. There is a lot riding on this and it should not brook delay. Broadcasters have known this was coming for 5 years. Consumers have been bombarded 2 years with DTV ads.

Heh.