At a hearing on the impending DTV transition Tuesday, Senator Daniel Inouye, chairman of the Commerce Committee, warned that the loss of analog over-the-air TV reception, occurring just 29 days into a new presidential administration, might spell trouble for a country already beset by the financial crisis.

"While federal agencies and industry have stepped up their efforts, I continue to be concerned that they are not fully prepared for the flood of coupon requests and calls that we can expect just before and after the transition," said the senator, a Democrat from Hawaii. "As the current administration winds down, both agencies must remain vigilant so that the next administration does not inherit a communications crisis."

Referring to test of the DTV switchover conducted two weeks ago, Inouye wasn't encouraged. "As the recent test in Wilmington, North Carolina, demonstrated, even with a Herculean investment of time and resources that will be impossible to replicate throughout the rest of the country, consumers made thousands of phone calls seeking help with various aspects of the transition. On a national level, this may translate to millions of calls. Unless more is done, February 17, and 18, and 19, will be very long days indeed."

FCC Chairman Dennis Martin, conversely, found some encouraging signs in the recent Wilmington test but agreed with Inouye that additional funding for education about the transition was still needed, calling for another $20 million.

said by SilverSurfer :

I don't know which is worse in rural areas...the fact that the phone lines are and have always been for shit, or, the fact that you can't even use good ol' rabbit ears to pick up any TV signals anymore.

said by jmn1207 :

Why can't you use rabbit ears? I can pick up digital stations using a wire coat hanger with no degradation in quality. It's digital, so you either get it or you don't. It's not like the analog signals that would vary in quality depending on the strength. Rabbit ears will work just fine.

said by Oleg :

This days everyone has digital cable or satellite anyway.

said by Matt :

The Wilmington area is relatively flat too, as it's a coastal city. So if they are experiencing issues, throw in a few hills and/or mountains and you may have a bigger problem.

said by jmn1207 :

And here I thought the FCC had conducted tests to ensure that the coverage would not be diminished when the switch to digital was made.

said by TKJunkMail :

And I wouldn't be surprised if the FCC also allowed adjustments in transmitted power so that the digital stations get a further reach(similar to the analog coverage) in order to cover areas like those on the map in orange.

said by TKJunkMail :

And I wouldn't be surprised if the FCC also allowed adjustments in transmitted power so that the digital stations get a further reach(similar to the analog coverage) in order to cover areas like those on the map in orange.

said by Warmachine99 :

I live in the 'dead zone' between Milwaukee and Chicago. While I do have cable, I have a TV antenna on a rotateable pole to use when the cable goes out. All my TVs have digital tuners, but even with my big gun antenna, reception sucks on certain channels. If Digital TVs range is less, then I may not get anything at all when the conversion strikes.

I guess then my wife will get her wish and the antenna will come down off the roof.

The antenna: »products.howstuffworks.com/terk-···view.htm