Blank screen for millions as US to pull plug on analog TV

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2009

WASHINGTON (AFP) — When US television stations pull the plug on Friday on analog broadcasts and switch to a digital-only signal nearly three million US homes are going to end up with a blank screen.

"The overwhelming majority of Americans are prepared, but despite our best efforts, some will lose television service tomorrow," said Anna Gomez, acting head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

"In any change this big, there are going to be disruptions," Federal Communications Commission (FCC) acting chairman Michael Copps added in a statement on Thursday.

"We are trying our best to provide people, especially those who are most at-risk, with the help they need to make the switch as smoothly as possible," he said.

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