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Message from The Urban
Progressive Foundation:
Digital Disaster on the
Horizon
The Transition to
Digital Television is a
"Digital Disaster on the
Horizon." With the
advent of the permanent
switch from analog to
digital on Feb. 17,
2009, millions will be
left in the dark if
action is not taken
immediately to push the
date back several
months.
This action is in the
best interested of the
current 17 million
Americans who are not
ready or partially ready
for the DTV switch. Even
with the intervention of
technical assistance it
would be impossible to
be ready. The
underserved groups will
be hard pressed to be
digitally connected in
time.
If you currently have a
rooftop or rabbit ears
antenna in your home you
have 3 choices:
-
Purchase a new Digital Television
-
Order a Pay -TV service (i.e. cable,
fios, satellite)
-
Purchase and connect a digital
converter box
President Barack Obama
has asked Congress to
extend the Feb. 17, 2009
DTV transition date
back. Transition
co-chair John Podesta
stated "Funds to support
this conversion are
woefully inadequate,
particularly to address
the problems of seniors
and low income viewers."
"With coupons
unavailable, support and
education insufficient,
and the most vulnerable
Americans exposed, I
urge you to consider a
change to the
legislatively-mandated
analog cutoff date,"
John Podesta, co-chair
of the Obama-Biden
Presidential Transition
Team wrote in the
letter, which was sent
to leaders of the Senate
and House commerce
committees.
Joe Uva, CEO of
Univision, stated that
Nielsen had severely
underestimated up to
40-50% the number of
over-the-air households,
pointing out that his
Hispanic viewer
constituency was
particularly at risk of
losing TV signals on
Feb. 17, 2008.
"GAO (Government
Accountability Office)
analyzed the coupon data
in areas of the country
comprising predominantly
minority and senior
populations and found
that households in both
predominantly black and
Hispanic or Latino areas
were less likely to
redeem their coupons
compared with households
outside these areas."
The Urban Progressive
Foundation has
implemented a
national campaign to
urge Congress to push
the DTV date back. This
site sends an electronic
letter to the key
principles involved in
this legislation. The
Urban Progressive
Foundation urges anyone
who can to go to this
website to support this
grassroots effort.
Since 1997, The Urban
Progressive Foundation's
goal has been to
educate, train, inform
and create hands-on
programs/events that
enhance the lives of
urban and rural
communities (i.e.
community education,
technology use, and
development). To help
the underserved
communities become
engaged in embracing
technology. Provide
education to the under
privileged (i.e.
seniors/elderly, youth,
disabled, at-risk income
and rural individuals)
which will support their
lives and promote growth
in their communities.
“Urban
Progressive Foundation
is a
project of United
Charitable Programs, a
registered 501(c)(3)
public charity.”
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