The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is becoming increasingly concerned about the possibility of electronics stores running out of converter boxes to help owners transition from analog TV to digital television. Even though President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill to make the delay from Feb. 17 to June 12 official, the possibility of stores running out of converter boxes has left many planners frustrated.
The senior vice president for government affairs at the CEA, Michael Petricone, recently warned the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) that there are still between three million and six million converter boxes that need to be sold before Americans will be able to successfully make the DTV transition.
A large majority of that number include $40 voucher coupons the U.S. government is handing out to owners. At current rates, 115,000 converters boxes are being purchased with vouchers as well as thousands without vouchers, which means stores could run out of boxes by the end of February.
That's assuming retailers only have anywhere from three to four million DTV converter boxes in stock. Petricone believes the total number of boxes available is closer to six million, which means manufacturers have until April before they have to start manufacturing new boxes.
There is currently a waitlist for DTV coupons and there is an estimated 3.7 million households waiting for their $40 voucher.
Although all stations should have been prepared to make the switch on Feb. 17, most of them will now wait until the new June 12 deadline before switching from analog to DTV. It seems that some stations -- smaller, local broadcasters -- will still make the switch by Feb. 17, so many Americans should prepare to have their converter box anyway.
Many of you were displeased when the House passed the DTV transition delay bill the second time, speculating that many of the people who aren't ready for the Feb. 17 date won't be ready in four months either. Even though some politicians share your concern, they said that they were trying to make it fair and hopefully have the transition become more painless due to the extended transition date (It's unknown how they plan to make this happen, so the coming months could be interesting).
