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Hawaii's DTV Transition PDF Print E-mail
Monday, January 19, 2009
At noon on January 15, 2009, analog broadcasting ended for full-power TV stations.

If you used a rooftop antenna or rabbit ears to watch TV – and didn’t subscribe to cable, satellite or other pay TV service – you needed to upgrade to digital television by January 15.  Televisions connected to cable, satellite, or other pay services weren’t affected by the transition and will continue to receive programs as usual.

On January 6, 2009, the Senate EDT (Economic Development & Technology) Committee and House EBM (Economic Revitalization, Business, & Military Affairs) Committee held a joint informational briefing to discuss Hawaii's transition to DTV.  Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Hawaii DTV (Digital Television) Transition Manager, Lyle Ishida, presented an overview of Hawaii’s transition, its converter box coupon program and hotline information for any TV reception problems.  Committee chairs Fukunaga, McElvey and their members raised many questions about the best ways to prepare for the transition, and encouraged FCC staff to partner with neighbor island senior citizen organizations to assist them.  There are many sources of information about the digital transition but one of the best is the government’s website. It contains information on what DTV is, questions consumers should ask when purchasing new television sets, what programs are available in DTV, and much more. You can also call locally 541-2389 or 541-2390.

Thankfully, Hawaii’s experience has been relatively smooth – and all the preparations seem to have paid off (“Hawaii Makes DTV Switch, With No Surprises,” Multichannel News, January 16, 2009).

The rare opportunity to serve as a model for other states as Hawaii transitions to digital TV appears to be a success.  Local broadcasters, community organizations and government demonstrated Hawaii’s willingness to lead the rest of the nation by good example, and show that a successful transition from analog to digital does not have to be stressful if we cooperate together.

Video: Lyle Ishida from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) briefs legislators on Hawaii's transition to DTV.