Austin's Digital Television Divide

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Digital TV Coupons by ThisIsIt2 on FlickrWhen it comes to things digital, we like to think of Austin as a national leader. And we mean "leader" in the good way. That's why it's so surprising that according to a report by Nielsen published last week, Austin is the fourth least prepared city in the nation for the upcoming digital television transition.

On Friday, June 12, 2009 – less than two weeks from now! – all full-power television stations will cease "analog" transmissions and will broadcast only a "digital" television signal. This affects all households that receive over-the-air television via rabbit ears or rooftop antenna. Preparing for DTV is usually pretty easy. Older televisions can receive digital signals with the addition of a low-cost digital converter box.

As it currently stands, 30,000 central Texas households could lose their television reception when the transition occurs. The City of Austin regards this as a serious public safety concern. Rondella Hawkins, Manager of the City's Office of Telecommunications and Regulatory Affairs noted, "Television is a primary source for news, weather and public safety information for many Austinites."

To help remaining residents across the digital television divide, the city has scheduled a Walk-In DTV Help Clinic that will be open June 3-12.

Time is running short, but it's not too late. For more information about the DTV transition, visit http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/telecom/dtv.htm or http://www.dtv.gov/.
 

Photo credit: "Digital TV Coupons" by Gary Hunt. Found on Flickr and used under Creative Commons license.