A lack of funding for consumer education is dogging the transition to all-digital TV, according to at least one U.S. lawmaker, even though Uncle Sam will spend $5 million to spread the word that about
70 million analog TV sets will cease to function next year unless they are connected to converter boxes or hooked up to cable or satellite service.
By way of comparison, the U.K.,
with one-fifth of our population, has allocated $600 million toward consumer education during its recently switch to DTV, says U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.). There is also a $1.5 billion voucher
program to help U.S. residents buy DTV converter boxes -- but that may cover only about 30 million TV sets, while 10% of external antennas now being used may not be capable of receiving digital
signals.
And Boucher predicts that even when they get them, many folks will have trouble hooking up the boxes, noting: "We're still a nation where a lot of people can't program a
VCR."
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Read the whole story at IDG News Service via Computerworld »