I Want My DTV: Groups Working to Keep You Connected
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June 5, 2009
Seattle, WA – The big switch happens one week from today, when analog television screens go blank and a converter box will be needed to receive digital TV signals over the air.
Jonathan Lawson, executive director of Reclaim the Media, says TV stations have been doing a good job explaining that the change is near - but the people who most depend on their old TVs with the rabbit-ear antennas are least-likely to know about the switch. He says some can't afford the change that’s coming.
"Free TV is a lifeline of public safety information and local news for a lot of people. That’s more true for low-income folks, seniors and for immigrants, than it is for any other group."
Congress authorized the digital TV coupons in an effort to keep television access free, even after the conversion, says Lawson. Many Internet Web sites offer a converter box for the value of the coupon, he adds, but finding a box at a local electronics store at the coupon value is not so easy.
"The government coupons, still available for free, will provide $40 off of the cost of the box. Unfortunately, local retailers have mostly been selling boxes in the $60 to $100 range."
Reclaim the Media has been doing outreach for months to make sure people know about the free government coupons and also how to hook up their new digital TV box. People in the Seattle area can bring their valid government coupons to the New Holly Community Center today from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and exchange it for a converter box. Folks in the Beacon Hill Area can do the same at the Jefferson Community Center between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Saturday.
To find other locations, check out the DTV Web site at www.dtv.gov.