By Joel Banner Baird

The old television at the podium in Burlington City Hall's Contois Auditorium pulled in a razor-sharp digital image just fine Wednesday night.

But analog-digital conversion of over-the-air television broadcasts on Feb. 17 might leave many antenna dependent households with blank screens, Federal Communications Commissioner Michael Copps said at a town hall meeting hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Copps and a panel of Vermont telecommunications professionals told the audience that difficult terrain, inadequate preparation and dozens of other variables could derail the TV habits of up to 15 percent of the region's estimated 38,000 viewers whose televisions receive signals only via "rabbit ears" or roof-top antennas.

"I'm convinced that this could be a train wreck," Copps said earlier in the afternoon. "I'm not terribly optimistic that we're going to get from here to there by Feb. 17."

Copps said the "cliff effect"—where digital signals drop off suddenly rather than tapering off, as with analog "snow" or "ghost" images—will likely require fine-tuning on the part of consumers, local citizens groups, first responders, the electronics industry and the federal government.

"We don't really have a fix on that, and we should," he said.

Vermont Public Television President John King said he could not predict the number of viewers whose reception might be compromised by digital drop-off.

"We believe it is a small number, but don't know the extent," he said. "Any amount is a concern."

Ted Teffner, a Stowe based telecommunications consultant who is managing the conversation at the Mount Mansfield array of antennas, said the number of dropped viewers "is a big unknown."

Using sophisticated modeling software that factors in signal strength and terrain, he calculated a potential loss of 15 percent of Vermont's viewers.

"But we don't know how many of that segment is already receiving satellite or cable service," he said. "It could be all of them—but that's probably too optimistic."

Most experts predict that some viewers will probably face the purchase of new antennas to pull in previously accessible stations.

Copps said the reliance of many rural viewers on over-the-air television for emergency notifications behooves them to obtain the federal discount for conversion equipment and to experiment with new equipment.

"I'm convinced that people will be severely inconvenienced and maybe even endangered if they don't," he said. "I advise people to ‘apply, buy and try.'"

Robert Bristow-Johnson, an electrical engineer who lives in Burlington's North End (and watches over-the-air broadcasts), said the political challenges faced by disenfranchised viewers vexed him more than the technology.

"I'm reasonably content with what I have," he said. "But what if you live in an apartment and you can't mount an antenna?"

"There will be winners and losers on Feb. 18. The cable companies are going to make off like bandits."

Linda Sugerman, also of Burlington, agreed with the prevailing sentiment at the meeting: Some Americans will be shortchanged when they look for their share of the public airwaves next year.

"If your digital signal's not strong, you get zero," she said.

Copps said federal legislation might be necessary to keep some analog television signals active after the deadline—even if only for test purposes.

In a letter he wrote to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin in September, Copps advocated more digital signal field testing by the commission, as well as better outreach to rural America's disadvantaged population.

He also proposed FCC call centers that could help viewers with a wide range of technical problems before, during and after the digital conversation.


This information was included in the Free Press article:

Learn More
Information about Digital TV on the web:
• Vermont Public Television: www.vpt.org/about/dtv_faqs.html
• AntennaWeb (options for different terrain): www.antennaweb.org
• Federal Communications Commission (includes an online countdown to Feb. 17): www.dtv.gov
• U.S. Department of Commerce (apply for discount coupons): www.dtv2009.gov
• Crutchfield: www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/home/antenna.html

Antenna-bound?
Anyone who relies on broadcast television over an antenna—and who watches an older television set (without a digital tuner—will need to:
• Buy a digital converter box (discount coupons available online and over the phone)
• Re-scan sets to calibrate them for new channel settings
• Hook up a second converter box in order to simultaneously view one show and record another