Digtial TV Test Leads To Flooded FCC Help Lines

How real is the worry that there are still some households that don't know the switch to digital television is imminent? During a "soft test" last week, the Federal Communications Commission received more than three times the number of help calls than it normally does on a regular business day.

The soft test prompted a single-day record of 55,000 calls to the FCC's national help line Thursday. Prior to the soft test, the FCC's help line had received an average of approximately 15,000 calls per day since May 1.

More than 125 of the nation's broadcast markets participated in the soft test, including at least one station in each of the top 30 broadcast markets. The soft test simulated what unprepared viewers would experience when the DTV transition occurs. However, rather than completely cutting off the analog signal, broadcasters interrupted the regular programming of viewers receiving analog signals to warn them the interruption indicates they are not prepared for the transition.

During the test, affected viewers were directed to call the FCC's national toll-free help line if they needed assistance in preparing for the impending termination of analog service on June 12. The Chicago market had the highest volume of calls at 1,310, followed by New York with 1,277 calls and Dallas-Fort Worth with 764 calls.

The switch requires that viewers have cable or satellite TV or a DTV converter box hooked up to their sets. Television audience pollster Nielsen estimates that about 3.3 million households—2.9 percent of U.S. households with TVs—remained unready for the transition as of May 10.

Tweet

   

More Networking