(NEWARK — With only days remaining before the transition to digital broadcast television on June 12, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) June 5 announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is providing walk-in clinics in the Garden State for consumers who still need help preparing for the switch.
Clinics are scheduled at various sites around the state and more are being added. Currently scheduled clinics are listed below and are available at http://www.nj.gov/bpu/pdf/cablepdfs/DTVlinks.pdf. The BPU will update the web listing as additional clinics are scheduled.
One such clinic took place on the Wildwood Boardwalk on June 6. It was scheduled from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 3600 Boardwalk.
“There are still a number of New Jerseyans who risk losing free over-the-air television unless they act before June 12,” said BPU President Jeanne M. Fox. “For these households, the walk-in clinics can provide the information they need to be prepared for the transition.”
On June 12, all full-power broadcast television stations in the United States will stop analog broadcast service and transmit only digital signals. Consumers who do not subscribe to pay television services and have older, analog televisions will need to have digital-to-analog converter boxes attached to their televisions in order to continue receiving over-the-air television programming. They may also need to adjust or upgrade their television set-top antennas.
According to the FCC, approximately 250 FCC staffers have been working with the public at events and DTV clinics nationwide – including New Jersey. In addition, the FCC is providing in-home assistance for over 200,000 homes through independent contractors, with additional in-home assistance being provided by AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps members and firefighters in cooperation with the International Association of Fire Chiefs. All of these in-home installation services are at no charge to the consumer. Consumers also can take advantage of these services by calling 1-888-CALL-FCC, or visiting www.dtv.gov.
West Cape May – The amount of TV shows airing is getting out of hand. Less movies are being produced today than ever before. Instead, people are glued to watching shows that most people never heard of.
