Civil rights group warns of digital TV troubles

Television started out as a luxury. But in the Information Age, it has become a vital way for many people -- particularly technophobes or those who can't afford the Internet -- to stay connected to the world. In February, that connection could be lost in millions of households because of "an absence of clear federal leadership" in educating them about the digital TV transition, according to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.   

The group today sharply criticized federal officials for lousy outreach to vulnerable communities, such as the elderly, the poor and minorities, as the government-mandated switch to all-digital broadcast television approaches. In a detailed report titled "Transition in Trouble," the coalition of civil rights organizations called on Congress to increase funding for educating people who need to take steps to avoid losing the ability to view over-the-air TV on Feb. 18 (the picture would look something like that to the left, minus the sad face).

"Access to communications in the 21st century is not a luxury. It’s a necessity," Nancy Zirkin, the group's executive vice president, told reporters on a conference call.

The report warned that many people "will suffer significant harm" if federal officials don't improve their outreach efforts and eliminate problems with the government's converter box coupon program, which the report described as "confusing, burdensome and restrictive." To help ease the transition for people who use antennas to get broadcast TV on older analog sets, the government is offering ...

... each household two $40 coupons to buy inexpensive digital-to-analog converter boxes. But those coupons expire 90 days after you receive them, which can be a problem if local stores don't have a good selection of boxes.

Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez, a former chief executive of Kellogg's, recently dismissed suggestions his agency should extend the expiration date, noting that his experience in the cereal business was that "90 days is pretty much the expiration you have on most coupons."

Mark Lloyd, vice president of strategic initiatives for the civil rights group, took issue with that remark, saying, "People don’t rely on cereal to warn them about tornadoes or hurricanes." One big impact of the digital TV transition is on the portable analog sets that people use when they lose power in such emergencies, as we noted in this story today.

Broadcasters and the cable industry are running their own public education campaigns, and recent polls show awareness of the transition increasing. The National Assn. of Broadcasters said today that polling it conducted this spring showed 85% of African-Americans were aware of the transition, up from 73% in January. The same poll found that overall awareness of the transition in California was 88%.

Lloyd says the broadcasters are doing a good job, but that the government needs to step up its game. He argues that the digital transition needs a government czar, just like the effort to prepare computers for the Y2K problem at the end of 1999.

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights noted that the cost of a U.S. Senate campaign in Ohio was $9 million in 2006. So far, Congress has allocated only about $7.5 million for education about the digital TV transition.

-- Jim Puzzanghera

Puzzanghera, a Times staff writer, covers tech and media policy from Washington, D.C.

Photo by daedalicious, via Flickr

Comments

[sam schuyler]

My elderly parents have a new Sony 32" Bravia digital TV - the picture is crystal clear but the reception is awful. They can watch NBC, PBS and two other stations clearly. It's been progreammed by professionals. Changing channels is a hassle with the 5.1 stuff - someone should be addressing some of this too. Do they buy a new antennae and maybe find someone reliable to install it? Buy big rabbit ears which they have never ever needed in the previous 40 years of TV viewing? What do they do to get good reception? This is a cable tv bonanza I guess. Force everyone into using t heir pensions for advertisement clogged cable shows. Some of us think there is nothing on to watch and dropped cable... I've read that trees interrupt the digital signals-what do you do if trees or buildings are in the way now? It's crazy. They had perfect reception with their old TV.

[Daniel]

Unless you have been under a rock, you should know about this transition by now. Its been broadcast on every over the air network almost every day for the past six months, during newscasts, in special public service information commercials. If you have not figured out what to do by now, I seriously doubt television does anything to connect you to the outside world, it's doubtful you make out any of what is going on anyway.

Lloyd is an idiot, a "transition czar", HAH! We do not need more government agencies to cater to morons who are not paying attention. The networks are doing more than enough to make sure their viewers stay connected, there was no reason to involve government in this issue at all once the decision was made to change the spectrum of broacast TV signals.

D

[Les T.]

Watching television as a Civil Rights issue! Have we as a society really sunk that low and shallow?

[George Girton]

The information contained in most television news is extremely minimal and for the most part inconsequential. You could make an equally good case that when their TVs stop working these people will be better informed simply by being forced to read the newspaper instead (assuming that they do not have internet connections -- not a very good assumption in most cases). Newspaper advertising would be worth more because it would be the only way to reach them, and the press and our democracy would be strengthened thereby.

Thus, oh hard working LA Times bloggers, let us ask the question. Who is this "Leadership Conference on Civil Rights", a group of whom we have never heard before?

[Steve]

This isn't a civil rights issue. It's an intelligence issue. The government is paying most of the cost. TV is constantly broadcasting ads explaining the situation: You plug your antenna into the box, then plug the box into the TV. There's a how-to manual in at least two languages. If you STILL don't get it, surely you have a friend or neighbor who does. I just can't believe this is a problem.

[rebecca]

i got two coupons for my grandparents. they knew they needed them but did not know how to get the coupons. the real bummer with the coupons is they only cover 2/3s of the cost.

[Ridiculous]

This isn't a civil rights issue. I'm angry that the government is even WASTING money on this DTV coupon and advertising. This is 2008, get cable, satellite or suffer. Sorry, this has nothing to do with civil rights and has everything to do with government waste.

[Jeff]

Watching television is not a right and it will never be. If the concern is emergency weather alerts, there are constant, free weather radio broadcasts. An emergency alert weather radio is more reliable in any case, since it has an alarm that will sound when a severe weather warning is issued.
This is just another example of America becoming a nation of whiners, bent on having the government (read taxpayers) throw money at every perceived problem and willing to sacrifice liberty on the alter of equality, which normally leads to having neither liberty or equality.

[Vic Arpeggio]

I love how smug and cynical most of the jerks are on this blog. Don't any of you have parents who don't know how to program the VCR? Or aren't tech savvy at all? Some people have problems with basic electronics-- there's a serious tech-awareness gap in the world. .I've done a ridiculous amount of long distance tech support for my parents in Ohio. They're not affected by this, but I can see how they might be. You people scoffing at this are going to be the ones eating crow come next year when a LOT of people suddenly discover that they can't watch any TV at all and don't understand why

[joe martin]

It should be the continued right for Americans to view publicly broadcasted channels without buying digital equipment, especially PBS.

This ruse to literally force all who would view television to purchase digital equipment is discrimination against the entire US PUBLIC. It is apparently designed to implement a forced program of identification upon the citizens. How would a citizen subscribe to all this equipment and cable or dish stuff without bank accounts, credit cards, credit, social security numbers, etc.?

All this and we have I.D. theft already at a staggering rate! Give up more information just to see a t.v.?
I'll leave mine off a few years. Some of the brain-dead programming I'd hardly miss, any way.

Thanks, joe martin

[NPS]

The government did NOT pay for the coupons outright. Part of the deal for reallocation of analog NTSC spectrum was that the new occupiers license would fund the efforts to get users off the spectrum.

So this IS NOT a government hand out.

Also I've yet to see any of the coupons be used on time. We know of people who got the coupons and could not find product anywhere.

If the government choose to SELL spectrum (yes they SOLD the Analog spectrum) then they have a right to cover the costs to move users off it and to charge (or take out of the new license fee) funds needed to cover the coupons.

Is anyone aware of that or did you all believe it was a handout? Check the facts before you post your opinion. The new licensees are paying for this transition.

[Bob]

So yeah, I'm from the 80s generation and I have to to take issue with this whole coupon program. First and for most is the expiration date, 90 days is a crock come on just make the stupid thing not expire we see lots of coupons that dont expire or heck just make it expire on the DTV turn on date. second the supply of them has been minimal at best in most stores and then the first generation boxes had major issues and bugs so people don't want them. Last but not least on the list off issues is retailers making this box a cash cow for them. I work in a big box store and the first day we had the boxes they were $49.99 for a cheaper one and $54.99 for a better one. Flash forward 3 days later and that price goes to $59.99 and $64.99 when they start to sell the few of them we got. Now this week I go in and they have bumped the cheaper crapper one up to $69.99 and $72.99 for the better. Now tell me something, how does this coupon help out someone if they have to deal with stores pulling this crap. According to the coupons when they first came out it would be a minimal cost with the uses of the coupon. That said I don't find 30 bucks plus the 40 dollar off coupon to equal 70+ bucks minimal at all. Well that's my two sense.