The Senate on Monday voted unanimously to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting by four months to June 12.
Monday's Senate vote is responding a growing concern that many Americans are not ready for such changeover. According to The Nielsen Co., more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog television sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals could see their TV sets go dark next month if the transition is not postponed. The changeover could add additional stress on particularly low-income and elderly viewers who have been overwhelmed by the economic downturn.
President Barack Obama has called for delay of the transition, after learning that the Commerce Department hit a $1.34 billion funding limit for government coupons that consumers may use to help pay for digital TV converter boxes. The boxes that translate digital signals back into analog ones for older TVs typically cost between $40 and $80 dollars.
Also see this editorial cartoon at CNN's iReport.com.
(Click to see the full sized cartoon!)
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