“[A]s we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tend to be the difficult ones.”
You know how the opening act in every good zombie movie involves bystanders stumbling around, stunned and terrified at the apocalyptic nightmare of brain-eating unfolding before their eyes and completely unsure of how to react?
I’m guessing February 17, 2009 will look something like that, since that’s the date of the digital television switchover, when over-the-air analog broadcasts cease.
The date has been the subject of a huge information campaign by the federal government and the National Association of Broadcasters. The NAB recently sent out a self-congratulatory e-mail on the subject:
The vast majority of the American public is aware of the upcoming DTV transition, according to a new national survey released by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). Ninety percent of respondents reported being aware that broadcast television signals and programming will switch to a digital format on February 17, 2009, up from 83 percent found in an NAB-commissioned survey in January 2008.
Great!
But today I received a news release from Best Buy indicating that, in fact, the digital switchover is poised to be a total boondoggle:
Best Buy found that while nearly nine in ten (88%) consumers are aware of the digital broadcast transition (DTV), Americans are still confused about why the transition is happening and what really needs to be done to prepare.
…
Although the majority of consumers (60%) know that February 17, 2009 is the DTV transition date, more than half (54%) do not understand why the transition is happening. The government decided to mandate the switch to digital broadcasting for all full power stations to free up portions of the broadcast spectrum for other important services, such as public and safety services (police and fire departments, emergency rescue), and advanced wireless services.
Other interesting and notable statistics from the survey include:
- Nearly a third (31%) of TV owners don’t know what type of TV they have - analog or digital.
- The majority of consumers who will prepare, plan to subscribe to cable or satellite (43%).
- Of the households who have done nothing to prepare for the transition, one in five (21%) believe they simply can not afford to, while those with an analog TV incorrectly believe the cost of the converter box is $56, after the $40 coupon.
- About one in five (18%) of consumers with an analog TV believe nothing will happen after the DTV transition, and that their analog televisions will look similar to how they look now.
So everyone knows something is going to happen to television next year, but a large chunk of the population has no idea whether they’ll be affected, how to respond, or thinks there will be no problem at all (even though that 18 percent who say nothing will happen in fact are likely to wake up to no TV signal at all on February 17).
Compound all that ignorance with the fact that a lot of people who are applying for the federal converter box coupons are getting shafted, as the coupons are expiring before they can be used, and we have a perfect storm brewing.
I plan to spend the 17th crouching in my house with a shotgun, picking off the deranged analog TV owners shambling down the street and anxious to devour my sweet, sweet digital signal.
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