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POSTED: Friday, December 05, 2008
                       

This story has been corrected. See below.

The Federal Communications Commission is sending one of its commissioners to Hawaii as an outreach to consumers on the digital television, or DTV, transition.

               

     

 

 

DTV Meetings         FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein will hold six public meetings on Hawaii's early digital television transition:         » Tuesday: 10-11 a.m., Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Hawaii Rooms 1 and 2, 777 Ward Ave.; 2-3 p.m., state Capitol press conference with Lt. Gov. James Aiona, 415 S. Beretania St.         » Wednesday: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Kaunoa Senior Center, 401 Alakapa Place, Spreckelsville; 1-2 p.m., location TBD, Maui         » Thursday: 10-11 a.m., Aunty Sally's Luau House, 799 Piiilani St., Hilo; 1:30-2:30 p.m., location TBD, Hilo

Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein will appear at town hall meetings on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island next week to discuss the transition and increase awareness, since Hawaii is to be the first state to undergo the shutdown of full-power analog TV signals.

Hawaii's transition will come at noon Thursday, Jan. 15, almost a full month before the rest of the nation switches on Feb. 17.

In announcing the series of town hall meetings, the FCC said, “;because Hawaii's early transition date will require quick action and may conflict with general DTV consumer education and outreach efforts, the FCC is providing an enhanced level of support to consumers there.”;

FCC officials and local broadcasters contacted by the Star-Bulletin could not recall an FCC official ever coming to Hawaii for a public outreach event.

The commission has had boots on the ground on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island recently to assist with the ramp-up to the transition, said Chris Leonard, president of the Hawaii Broadcasters Association.

Leonard and his colleagues knew that going early would be advantageous for Hawaii in that the state would have a concentration of commission attention, but “;they have exceeded my expectations thus far,”; he said. “;They have been working very hard to help educate consumers and make this transition as smooth as possible.”;

               

     

 

 

On the Net:         » www.hawaiigoesdigital.com         » www.dtv.gov/Hawaii

There are two critical points broadcasters are trying to get across right now.

One is, for households that have not yet requested their DTV converter box discount coupons to do so, “;basically immediately,”; because of the turn-around time between request and receipt via second-class mail.

The second point is that consumers who have coupons must redeem them before they expire. Each is good for 90 days and will not be replaced.

Coupons can be requested by phone at 1-888-DTV-2009 or online.

Hawaii broadcasters sought the early transition due to wildlife officials' concern for the Hawaiian dark-rumped petrel, an endangered bird species.

Were the long-planned dismantling of broadcast towers atop the Maui mountain conducted after the February transition, work would disrupt the birds' nesting grounds.

 

 

               

     

 

 

CORRECTION         The national DTV transition, when full-power television stations' analog signals will be shut off, will occur Feb. 17, 2009, not Feb. 19 as originally stated on this page.