Obama urges delay in DTV
transition

WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama is urging Congress to postpone the Feb. 17 switch from analog to digital television broadcasting.

In a letter to key lawmakers, transition team co-chair John Podesta warned Thursday that too many Americans who rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air broadcasts won't be ready.

The incoming administration is pushing for a delay in part because the Commerce Department has run out of money for the coupons that subsidize digital TV converter boxes for consumers. People who don't have cable or satellite TV or a new TV with a digital tuner will need the converter boxes to keep their analog TVs working.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, part of the Commerce Department in charge of overseeing the transition and sending out converter box coupons, announced that, starting January 4, consumers requesting coupons will be put on a wait list because the department has already hit its $1.34 billion limit. As older coupons expire, newer coupons will be issued on a first-come-first-served basis.

The NTIA said in a statement, "While we have reached a temporary limit on the number of coupons we can issue, we expect to be able to issue several million additional coupons during the course of the program."

Obama officials are also concerned that the government is not giving consumers enough help with the TV transition.

Related Link: Read the full statement issued by the NTIA