Satellite : Smooth Sailing On DTV Switch ... So Far

[evd]

NAB President David Rehr told FCC officials last week that the Feb. 17 transition of some 420 stations to digital broadcasting was essentially a "non-event," citing the industry's education efforts for ensuring that consumers knew what to expect from the DTV switch. According to Rehr, there were relatively few calls from confused viewers after the switchover and said that "awareness of the DTV transition was virtually saturated across the country."

So that's the good news.

The bad news, Rehr testified, is that with the new June 12 cutoff date we still have several months to go before the digital transition is over. The challenges now include letting viewers know about the new date, dealing with the antenna issues presented by digital signals and bolstering the FCC's call center operations. The FCC is set to receive $90 million in economic stimulus money from the NTIA that should help it address those concerns.