GAO report: DTV transition making progress... mostly

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DTV transition worriers got some relief on Tuesday with a government report that says the analog-to-digital move is going well for most full-power TV stations. This revelation, however, has not smoothed wrinkled brows everywhere, most notably those of Senate Commerce Committee Chair Daniel Inouye (D-HI), who wonders whether couch potatoes will be as ready for the change as broadcasters.

"Far too many Americans are unaware of or unprepared for February 17, 2009," Inouye warned after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its DTV preparedness audit—said date being the last day of analog broadcasting for full power TV stations.

First, however, the happy news. The GAO says that of the 1,122 full-power stations from which they received data, around 91 percent already broadcast a digital signal. Over 68 percent are transmitting it on the channel intended for broadcast after the transition and the same percentage are doing it at full power. 72 percent of these responders were commercial and the rest noncommercial stations. "Broadcast stations have made substantial progress in transitioning to DTV," GAO concludes, "with the vast majority already transmitting a digital signal."

Well, not so fast: The report notes that the Federal Communications Commission's database indicates the existence of 1,747 full power TV license holders in the United States. The GAO contacted 1,682 of them about their DTV progress, and 1,122 responded, an answer rate of 66.7 percent. So while the report's conclusions are still encouraging, the phrase "vast majority" may be a tad overoptimistic.

More here - http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...ss-mostly.html

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