FCC chair says DTV switch has 50/50 chance

RALEIGH Right now, as of February 17, all analogue television signals will no longer be broadcast by local television stations. That means people with older television sets will need a converter box to keep receiving signals if they're not connected to cable or satellite to get their programming.

Click here for more information about the switch

Some in Congress and President-Elect Obama have suggested pushing back the date until this summer. They say there are too many people who haven't purchased digital television converters. The federal program that provides coupons for people to buy them is also out of money.

But Martin has gone on the record to oppose putting off the switch. He says he's confident that Congress will put more money in the coupon program. He says changing the date will only breed confusion. Still he acknowledged that Congress may decide to push it back.

He said right now, there's a 50/50 chance of that happening.

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