Lucille Roybal-Allard: “I rise in support of S. 352, the DTV Delay Act, which postpones the date of the analog-to-digital television transition…”

“I rise in support of S. 352, the DTV Delay Act, which postpones the date of the analog-to-digital television transition from February 17, 2009, to June 12, 2009. Over the last several months I have received call after call and letter after letter from my constituents who rely on their analog televisions for news, emergency information and entertainment. They are very concerned that they have been unable to obtain the converter box they need for the upcoming digital transition. My constituents tell me that they applied for coupons well in advance of the deadline, only to be told that coupons were no longer available or that the coupons they received had already expired. My constituents who live in group homes and single room occupancy buildings have also voiced concern that they have been denied coupons because they live in housing that does not fit the program's narrow definition of a 'household.' My constituents are not the only ones affected by arbitrary expiration dates, coupon shortages or ineligibility. According to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NTIA, as of January 28, 2009, more than 14 million coupons have expired. The result is that millions of Americans will lose their television signal because they will be unable to purchase the equipment necessary for the transition. The NTIA also reported in early January that the $1.34 billion that Congress appropriated for the coupons had run out.”