FCC: DTV Transition Went Very Well

The switch to full digital TV, or DTV, that took place this past Friday went very well and without any major problems according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Over 900 full-power stations shutdown their analog broadcasts on Friday, making America officially an all digital TV broadcast nation for the first time ever.

"In a broader sense, the transition is not over, even for those of us who dutifully connected our converter boxes by (the) deadline," said acting FCC chairman Michael Copps. "The DTV transition is not a one-day affair. (Some consumers) will have to move or adjust their antennas or perhaps even buy more powerful ones in order to receive the channels they should be receiving."

The digital television transition didn't go without it's share of problems though. By late Saturday, the FCC had received over 300,000 calls from consumers and over 800,000 calls in total were received over the last several days. The majority of calls will related to convert boxes and antennas but these were calls that the FCC had prepared for and were easily handled.

"For TV broadcasting, it was a final farewell to the Dinosaur Age and the dawn of the Digital Age," Copps said in a statement.

You can still pickup two $40 convert box coupons per household by July 31st 2009. After this date, you will no longer be able to receive the government coupons.

As always, for more information call the FCC hotline at 888-CALL-FCC or DTV.gov.