Obama team urges DTV transition delay

WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama is urging Congress to postpone the Feb. 17 switch from analog to digital television broadcasting.

In a letter to key lawmakers, transition team co-chair John Podesta warned Thursday that too many Americans who rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air broadcasts won't be ready.

The incoming administration is pushing for a delay in part because the Commerce Department has run out of money for the coupons that subsidize digital TV converter boxes for consumers.

People who don't have cable or satellite TV or a new TV with a digital tuner will need the converter boxes to keep their analog TVs working.

Obama officials are also concerned that the government is not giving consumers enough help with the TV transition.

Mike Laemers, Director of Engineering for WOOD TV8, said the high number of unreedemed coupons coming back will provide enough money to fund the program. He said there is a question of whether or not there should be more money for the coupons.

He said industry people said adding more money for coupons is an easier fix than pushing the date back, "but the public good is more important than an industry." About 15% of the viewing public is still getting their television through antennas, he said. Pushing the date back is less of an issue for WOOD than for other stations who actually had to change frequencies.