Rabbit ears will work for another four months

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If you were worried your television was going to go black on Tuesday, worry no more.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama signed a bill delaying the nation's switch to digital television signals to June 12.

Under the previous law, all full-power television stations were required to cease analog broadcasts on Tuesday, but at the transition date approached, many felt the government initiatives to support the transition were insufficient. Some statistics showed up to 20 million mostly poor, elderly and rural households were not ready for the switch.

The switch will affect viewers with older sets that receive broadcast analog signals and do not get cable or satellite television. Those viewers will need to purchase a converter box to keep their televisions working.

S. 352, the bill delaying the switch passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 4 in a 264-158 vote and followed Senate passage last month. For Bureau County voters, Rep. Bill Foster, D-14, and Rep. Debbie Halvorson, D-11, voted in favor of the delay, while Rep. Aaron Schock, R-18, voted against delaying the switch until June. Most Republicans opposed the delay, arguing it would create more confusion after years and millions of dollars had been spent to advertise the switch.

However, most Democrats disagreed.

“In the 14th District alone, there are 3,029 households currently on the digital television converter box coupon waiting list,” Foster said in a press release. “By pushing back the date of the transition, we can better ensure that we can protect those who are trying to make the transition but have not been accommodated.”

Coupons worth $40 were provided by the government to offset the costs of purchasing a converter box for older televisions. According to Consumers Union, about 13 million people hold expired coupons, and millions of requests for coupons are pending.

Delaying the switch is optional for the country’s nearly 1,800 full-power television stations, which can still switch to digital early if they notify the FCC and the public. However, most stations available to Bureau County residents, including WQAD-NewsChannel 8, Moline; KLJB-TV 18, Davenport; WHBF-TV4, Rock Island; KWQC-TV6, Davenport; and WQPT-TV24, Moline, have decided to wait until June 12 to make the switch.

One station available to some local viewers is keeping Tuesday’s date. WEEK-TV in Peoria has said it will shut down the analog signal as scheduled.

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More information

Additional information about the switch and the coupons can be found at www.dtv2009.gov.