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Senior Citizen Politics
Bill Funding Efforts to Prepare Senior Citizens for
Digital TV Offered by Kohl
Sen. Kohl’s legislation aimed at filling gap left by
government and industry planning for transition of nation’s television
broadcast format
 Oct. 3, 2007 – Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of
the Senate Special Committee on Aging, today introduced a bill to
provide funding for non-profits, states and local governments, as well
as, coordinate federal efforts, to prepare senior citizens for the
nation’s switch to digital television in early 2009. A hearing last
month by the committee highlighted concerns that senior citizens are the
most likely Americans not to be prepared when the broadcasting of analog
television signals ends.
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On February 17, 2009, television stations will
cease broadcasting their analog signals, at which point analog
televisions will stop working unless they are connected to a converter,
cable or satellite.
Kohl’s bill, “Preparing America’s Seniors for the
Digital Television Transition Act of 2007,”.will formalize a partnership
between the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the
Administration on Aging (AoA) with specific reporting requirements.
The purpose of the partnership would be to
coordinate with a diverse advisory board of stakeholders - representing
broadcasters, aging advocates, disability groups, rural Americans, and
state and local governments - to craft a national consumer education
campaign targeting older individuals who depend on analog TV.
“Seniors are particularly vulnerable to slipping
through the cracks of the transition. Not only are they more likely to
rely on free over-the-air analog TV signals, but for many seniors
television is their only link to the outside world,” said Chairman
Kohl.
“Without adequate planning and coordination,
seniors will be left in the dark.”
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About Coupon Program |
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Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon
Program
The Department of Commerce's National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has
launched the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program
(Coupon Program), as authorized in the Digital Television
Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005.
Between Jan. 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009, all
U.S. households will be eligible to request up to two coupons,
worth $40 each, to be used toward the purchase of up to two,
digital-to-analog converter boxes, while the initial $990
million allocated for the program is available. If NTIA requests
the additional $510 million already authorized by Congress, then
coupon requests during this "contingent period" will be limited
exclusively to over-the-air households.
Details on how to apply for the Coupon Program
and a 1-800 number will be established later in 2007.
>>
Click for more information about the Coupon
Program |
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This legislation would establish a grant program to
support non-profits and state and local government agencies, such as
area agencies on aging, as they help seniors and other vulnerable
populations navigate the transition and the “coupon program,” which was
created by NTIA to help subsidize the cost of a converter box for analog
televisions.
The legislation also modifies the coupon program to
ensure that households relying solely on over-the-air television sets
are prioritized and that residents of nursing homes and assisted living
facilities are eligible to participate.
Additionally, the bill would set requirements for
the broadcasting industry, electronic manufacturers, and electronic
retailers which include mandatory public service announcements;
placement of easily identifiable labels on coupon-eligible converter
boxes; and the maintenance of toll-free phone lines to help individuals
with converter box installation.
Finally, the legislation would set specific
reporting requirements for both the NTIA and FCC in order to monitor the
overall progress of the transition and the implementation of the coupon
program.
The bill, said a statement from Kohl’s office, is
being introduced in response to a the hearing held by the Aging
Committee on September 19, entitled “Preparing
for the Digital Television Transition: Will Seniors Be Left in the Dark?”
Testimony from Federal Communications Commissioner
John Adelstein and Mark Goldstein, Director of Physical Infrastructure
Issues at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), corroborated
the results of an Aging Committee investigation that found the federal
government is drastically unprepared to educate America’s seniors about
the transition, set to take place February 17, 2009.
The hearing uncovered several concerns, including
the lack of coordination between government agencies; an over reliance
on competing private sector efforts; the potential for fraud, abuse, and
confusion with respect to the government’s coupon-program; and finally,
that non-profit organizations require additional resources to
sufficiently assist seniors with navigating the transition.
Chairman Kohl’s bill has received support from the
Association for Public Television Stations (APTS), the National
Association of State Units on Aging, the National Association of Area
Agencies on Aging, the American Association of Homes and Services for
the Aging, the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services
Programs, AARP and the Meals on Wheels Association of America.
AARP Board Member Nelda Barnett lauded Chairman
Kohl’s bill at the September 19 hearing, stating that “AARP appreciates
the Committee’s focus on the impact of this transition on older
Americans and welcomes the legislation the Chairman has drafted to ease
these burdens.”
A study conducted by APTS determined that 61
percent of over-the-air households have “no idea” the DTV transition is
taking place. A later study commissioned by APTS found that Americans
aged 65 and older are consistently more likely to receive television
signals via an over-the-air antenna than younger Americans, and are
therefore less prepared to transition from analog to digital-only
television.
The study concluded that seniors should receive
unique attention in efforts to educate the public about the impending
DTV transition.
>> Special Webpage by Senate Special Committee on
Aging of information on what senior citizens should know about the
transition of broadcast television from analog to digital. Don’t get
left in the dark!
Click Here
Other links:
>> Associated Press:
“GAO: No Direction in Digital Transition” – September 19, 2007
>> Washington Post:
“The Night the TVs Go Out” – September 29, 2007
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