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The government will soon force broadcasters, like CBS 11, to shut off our analog signal. We'll still be on the air, but only in digital.
Now thousands of people in Alaska have to figure out how to keep their television sets working.
This really affects people who are still watching TV on an old analog set. If you don't have cable or satellite, you'll need a converter box to keep it working. The I-Team also found there are people in Alaska in a special situation, too.
There are some people who live so far away from CBS 11's transmitter, they actually watch the station's programming through equipment called translators, which relay
Alaska has about 530 of these translators, making the switch to digital television a bit different for us.
"Translators were not given a deadline for switching to digital. So after February 17, 2009, our translators will still be sending out an analog signal," said Darlene Simono of the Alaska Broadcasters Association.
Which means if you get your TV signal from a translator and you use rabbit ears or an antenna to pick it up, you're going to need a special converter box. You'll have to go to your local electronics store and ask them for a pass through converter box or an inexpensive splitter. That will allow you to get both digital and analog signals.
But beware: converter boxes are in short supply.
"They come and they go really quickly," said Courtney Shaw of Best Buy.
Best Buy in Anchorage doesn't expect another shipment for about two weeks. The government is offering 40-dollar coupons to help pay for the converters. But the Alaska Broadcasters Association says viewers in villages have had trouble getting them. Apparently, the agency handling the coupons didn't want to mail them to P.O. boxes.
The I-Team
Only 16,000 coupons have been requested so far in the entire state, according to the government's latest data. That raises concerns people won't be ready when analog signals are shut off.
"Our seniors and disadvantaged families are going to be the ones most impacted by this change. And as I have several gray hairs, I kind of resist technology changes. And this is a huge one," said Simono.
Some senior citizens have told Simono they'd rather go without television, rather than hook-up another box to their set.
So do you feel like we're going to be ready next February?
"I sure hope so. It's kind of like the Y2K that we had going on. A lot of attention was brought to it, a lot of things were done and hopefully we'll be able to make sure that no person in the state of Alaska is going to lose their TV signal," said Simono.
You can go online and apply for one of the government's coupons to help pay for a converter box.
If you're confused about what you need for your television, Best Buy is offering a class on Sunday, June 15, 2008, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Best Buy is also recommending people call ahead to see if converter boxes are in stock, since they're selling out so quickly.
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If you have a story for the I-Team that you want me to look into, you can call the I-Team hotline number at 273-3111.
