2 Responses to “How’d the digital TV conversion go?”

1. Pat Says:
   June 15th, 2009 at 5:42 pm

   Exactly like Y2K - uneventful in spite of all the hype.

2. Marcia Mardis Says:
   June 16th, 2009 at 6:44 pm

   In north Florida and south Georgia, the DTV switch has had subtle but noticeable effects. The communities hit hardest by the switch were the ones least in the position to ignore it due to already having cable or dish; least able to afford a $40 converter box; least likely to believe that the government was serious about the change occurring; and most reliant on analog network channels for news and information. In other words, the switch hit poor, rural communities with large populations of senior citizens hard here.

   An unforeseen, but very present, issue has been the difficulty many have experienced with connecting and reprogramming/rescanning their boxes.

   Of course, this should have been no surprise since the late 2008 tests in northeastern markets such as the Wilmington, DE area showed similar issues. That research did inform policy as it built momentum for a delay in the switch from February 17 to June 11, but the necessary policy supports were not put in place during that time.

   To me, this situation signals that the digital divide is far more complex and multi-leveled than we think. After reading report after report of looming Internet “brownouts” or “snow days,” (see for example, http://www.nemertes.com/studies/internet_singularity_delayed_why_limits_internet_capacity_will_stifle_innovation_web), I hope our policymakers will use the ARRA funds to upgrade our communications infrastructure in a thoughtful, necessary way.