1/28/2009

in

Republican resistance in the House of Representatives prevents passing of what Democrats and some TV viewers would consider a crucial bill.

Vijay Mohan

According to a Reuters article, a move to delay the switch to digital television was defeated Wednesday in the U.S. House of Representatives.  
  
The bill failed to gain the two-thirds support in the House, having been denied by Republican members in the governing body.  
  
The proposed legislation, backed by President Obama and the U.S. Senate, would have pushed the deadline for the switch to digital TV to June 12, instead of the current Feb. 17 deadline. The bill was proposed out of a concern from consumer groups that certain demographics were not prepared for the mandatory switch.  
  
According to the Reuters article posted Wednesday, Neilsen ratings suggest 6.5 million households will have inoperable televisions by the deadline without a converter box. The U.S. government has been offering $40 coupons to subsidize the cost of the box, but over one million people are on a waiting list.  
  
The transition only affects those who use older televisions that receive analog signals and have no cable. These televisions do not have a digital tuner.