DTV Deadline Part 3
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What to do with old televisions is something being discussed on a local and federal level.
The transition to exclusive digital broadcasting has made for a big changes.
And those changes filter down from TV stations to small businesses.
Kirk Williams has been a TV repair guy since 1974, back when people still had black and white sets.
How times have changed.
To call Kirk a TV repair guy now a days is something of a misnomer.
TV technology has changed the business so what’s a tv repair guy to do?
If you want to stay in business you have to adapt your business Next year’s digital transition has created a whole new market for Kirk.
Namely the installation of equipment that will allow viewers to watch digital TV.
But that new market comes with catch.
As viewers make the switch to digital many are upgrading their TV sets.
In order to get digital TV you don’t need a fancy hi def set, but Kirk says people are buying them anyway.
And often times, the old analog clunkers get left with him, piled up in the back of his office.
There’s no good solution yet, but in some places like the Jefferson County Recycling and Solid Waste Center, what to do with old TV sets is a big topic for discussion.
Rick Gilbert manages the facility and says his workers are setting aside all the old TV’s, along with computer monitors and other electrical materials.
As the expected wave of TV’s come in there’s a plan in the works to contract with an outside company and have all of it recycled.
A plan that will comply with federal environmental rules and ensure that loads of tv sets are getting dumped at the landfill.
People can still hold on to their old TV’s if they choose.
There are digital converter boxes available for older sets and the government is giving out $40 coupons to reduce the cost.
People are taking up the offer and as of this week the U.S. Commerce Department says about one million households have used those coupons to purchase a converter box.
Watch Part 3 of DTV Deadline:
Some useful links:
- www.dtv.gov
- Apply for a coupon
- A library of FAQ’s about the digital change over
- How to install a converter box
- www.dtvtransition.blogspot.com by 7 News’ own Jim Corbin
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Hello–Just wanted to stress that there should have been a recycleling center for electronics long ago.
Other cities have had Electronics recycleing centers for over 10 years now.
I have had an old broken Televisions and monitor for over 1o years with no place to rcycle those items.