Converting Analog Television to Digital TV Still Not Working For Millions of Americans

I'm one of the millions of Americans who are without television as the converter boxes don't work on my old TV set. I havewasted hours and days of my life since February2009  trying to make the digital converter box work and nothing works. You can read the full article at "Converting Analog Televisions to Digital TV Not as Easy as Promised"

After going through the same frustrations, many Americans have been forced to buy new digital TVs. I bought mine at Walmart for $168. A friend did the same and she had to return her TV, because even with the new TV, she still can't pull in a regular, reliable signal -- $200 wasted on a new TV that won't pull in a digital signal. I still have my digital television, but it doesn't work 50% of the time, and when it does work, I get one channel. I used to get FOUR channels on my old TV before the government stepped in.

Magnavox DTV Digital to Analog Converter Box # TB1110MW9 and Other Converter Boxes Do Not Work on My Television

I don't watch a lot of television, but I do depend on my TV during tornadoes or other crisis, so I have tried and tried to make this work. If I hold the converter box just right, occasionally I can pull in a pixilated black and white picture with no sound but a hiss. The picture lasts a few seconds before it disintegrates and then it is gone. Usually I cannot pull it in again for several hours or several days.  The FCC and their partners in crime -- Congress -- have really shafted those of us in the lower income brackets and put us in harm's way because we can't get the weather maps or other alerts provided by local television stations.

The early commercials on both TV and web promised an easy conversion using the box, so we all just let this happen. After all, if the government tells us it's going to be easy, well, enough said, right??? Many of you won't care, because you have satellite or cable or budgets that will allow you to purchase new TVs and outdoor antennas -- luxuries the unemployed cannot afford. But this should served as a wakeup call as to how the U.S. government can make a decision, promise citizens it will be easy, and then leave a great deal of its people in much worse state than they were before.

Five years later and I still can't watch TV. I could BUY an expensive roof antenna and hope it pulls in a better signal, or BUY a cable or satellite provider, but I didn't have to do this before. Thanks, US Government and FCC for driving the monthly costs up for millions of Americans...again...

More on this topic at:

• Analog to Digital TV Conversion: Approximately 2.8 Million Americans Now Without Television
• Converting Analog Televisions to Digital TV Not as Easy as Promised
• Analog to Digital Television Conversion Problems Continue; FCC Passes The Buck

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Previously published on Bukisa on Julne 20, 2009

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