State's TV stations keep Feb. 17 digital switch date
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Staff, Wire Reports - Published: February 6, 2009
Vermont's television stations will end analog broadcasting next week and make the switch to all digital transmitting, despite a new federal deadline of June 12.
Jim Condon of the Vermont Association of Broadcasters said the state's television stations are making the transition to an all-digital format on Feb 17, the original date set by Congress
Condon said local outlets are going ahead because the large number of cable and satellite subscribers in Vermont are better prepared for the switch than any other state except Hawaii.
The House on Wednesday voted to postpone the shutdown of analog TV signals to June 12, to address concerns that too many Americans won't be ready by the Feb. 17 deadline. The Senate passed the measure last week and the bill now heads to President Barack Obama for his signature.
The change is being mandated because digital signals are more efficient than analog ones. Ending analog broadcasts will free up valuable space in the nation's airwaves for commercial wireless services and emergency-response networks.
The Nielsen Co. estimates that more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals still are not ready. People who subscribe to cable or satellite TV or have a newer TV with a digital tuner will not be affected.
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