Officials Upbeat About Historic DTV Shift
Television makes history at midnight. When 974 broadcasters across the country begin turning off their analog signals early Friday morning, with shut-offs continuing throughout the day, they will mark the end of an era that began with the U.S. debut of TV technology at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. After more than two decades of planning, a four-month delay imposed by Congress this year and billions spent in federal and private dollars on outreach and converter box coupons, officials finally think the digital switchover is under control. The FCC has dispatched 200 staffers to trouble spots, deployed 4,000 operators to man its hotline around the clock through Monday, and established more than 500 walk-in centers and DTV clinics. Yet no one in charge is predicting a trouble-free transition. "We know there will be some disruption over this weekend and the coming weeks, but it won't be for our not trying," said William Lake, the FCC's DTV transition coordinator, during a briefing today in which officials involved with planning were largely upbeat. Read the full story in CongressDaily's PM Edition.
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