In 2005 Congress decided to switch from analog broadcast to digital, not cause it has better picture, but cause we wanna use the spectrum for other things. It turns out, despite the beliefs of at least 1 person I know, we can not actually just make more frequencies. So in 2005 there was a date set, 17 Feb 09. On that date TV stations would have to switch to digital broadcast.
You probably new it was happening. There have been commericals on for quite some time now. If you didn't know, you probably don't watch TV in which case you will be unaffected. In early 2008 the government started this whole coupon thing so they would help you pay for a converter box. Of course, being a government program it got backed up and bogged down. So apparently there are some people that didn't get their coupon. Some people are just putting it off.
But back to this switch business, full power stations are switching, so if you watch a full power station you need to do something to ensure you can get the digital signal. If you watch a low power station or a community station or a booster station they will still broadcast. If you have cable or satellite, you probably don't have to do anything. If you have a new tv, you don't have to do anything.
Here is where the government steps in to save us from.... the government. In order to let the last few people who haven't gotten around to getting ready yet the government came up with a plan to push back the date. The senate ok-ed it, the house voted it down, then later changed their mind and ok-ed it as well. So the president will sign it and it will become law.
Stay with me here.... The orginal date was 17 Feb 09. All the commericals currently on TV say its coming 17 Feb 09. The countdown clocks in stores are counting down to 17 Feb 09. Now the date will be sometime between 14 Mar and 12 Jun. Though some stations may switch on 17 Feb, or earlier. So the government can just choose a new date, and then when people aren't ready they can push that one back too.
I say stick the 17 Feb 09 date. If people aren't ready or haven't gotten the equipment as soon as they release they don't get tv on 18 Feb they will run out and buy new TVs and pay extra to have them installed for prime time viewing on 18 Feb.
