As a follow-up to my blog on how digital television may affect low-power television stations, I would now like to discuss the DTV transition in relation to civil liberties. This week, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) released a report warning of the potential problems and pitfalls associated with the DTV transition. full report [1]
In the past few months, I have heard a few tidbits about the problems the transition is encountering, such as a lack of public awareness about the impending switch to DTV and the effect it will have on certain demographics. But not until reading the LCCR’s full report have I really thought deeply about how the DTV transition actually affects our civil liberties and what is at stake for TV viewers if this transition fails.
If the DTV transition goes smoothly and successfully, digital broadcasting will be able to expand free, over-the-air programming because of its ability to multicast; multicasting is the ability of broadcast stations to offer several channels of digital programming at the same time, using the same amount of spectrum required for one analog program.
If it does not go smoothly, millions of households could be left without access to their TVs. This has deep implications for civil liberties. Because TV has the ability to keep Americans informed and up-to-date on local and national news, emergency warnings and other community events, access to television is a necessity, not a luxury. To deny the citizenry this valuable resource is inexcusable. An uninformed citizenry is a striking blow to any democratic society. Leaving people “in the dark” isn’t only bad for those individuals, but for society as a whole.
In 2005, the Government Accountability Office estimated that roughly 19 percent (approx. 21 million people) of U.S. households relied solely on free over-the-air broadcasting. This over-the-air broadcasting is some households’ lifeline to the outside world and main source of information. It could be absolutely devastating and isolating to those who are not prepared for the digital transition on Feb. 17, 2009.
Much of the percentage of households and individuals who rely on free over-the-air broadcasting are made up of some of this country’s most vulnerable populations, including the elderly, minorities, low-income families, and communities for whom English is not their primary language. Unsurprisingly, it is these populations who are currently the least prepared for the DTV transition.
For example, drawing from the LCCR’s report, 40 percent of Latino households (Latino households make up 11.3 percent of U.S. households) rely on over-the-air broadcasting. Of the households completely unready for the transition, Latino households make up 19.9 percent.
And just why could so many communities be left watching static? The DTV transition is costly for many households. DTV converter boxes can cost anywhere from $55 to $90. Senior citizens who live on a monthly social security check, or households who earn $30,000 or less a year may struggle to pay for this box.
While the government has implemented a coupon program to help subsidize the cost of converter boxes for eligible households, the program is not running as smoothly as first projected. There is a 90 day expiration date on the coupon subsidies. Part of the reasoning behind the expiration date was so people did not forget to get their converter box or for the coupon to get “lost in the mix.” But many of the stores accepting the coupon subsidies do not always have a wide variety of converter boxes in stock; the cheaper ones are usually sold-out (so people want to wait until there are more in stock), and stores have been slow to receive the converter boxes that allow pass-through analog signals. Households forced to wait for cheaper models risk their coupons expiring. On top of the cost of converter boxes is the problem of actually hooking them up to the television. It is safe to say that not every household will have an easy go of this – I cannot picture my grandmother pulling this off.
The other problem with this converter box coupon program is the two phase approach, which most people do not even know about. In phase one, every U.S. household can apply for up to two coupons on a first come, first-served basis. Once the second phase begins, only households who can certify in writing that they rely exclusively on over-the-air television are eligible for converter box coupons. Obviously this is a problem considering 10 percent of U.S. households are completely unaware of the transition, while another portion of the population is simply unprepared.
If these households continue to wait, they could find themselves in the second phase of the program and will have forfeited their eligibility for subsidies. Furthermore, as reported above, some of the population who relies on free over-the-air broadcasting is not proficient in English. When phase two begins, these households may have trouble contacting the government to request help.
The government needs to act quickly to solve these problems, as well as many more not mentioned here. It is imperative that the transition to digital succeeds and all households switch over because access to information is vital to living in and contributing to a democratic society (or any society). Households should not be left behind, and more resources should be committed to ensuring that doesn’t happen.
Read the full report here [2]