Obama team, Rockefeller back DTV delay

John Podesta, transition team co-chair for President-elect Barack Obama, has delivered a letter to Congress advising the DTV transition be put off. Congress had set Feb. 17, so another law would need to pass to change the date. In his letter, Podesta calls government funding for the DTV converter box coupon program as well as educational efforts for consumers “woefully inadequate.” Transition officials estimate more than 5 million “unhonored requests” for the coupons by February. Podesta adds that Obama will include resources for assistance to viewers in the economic recovery package. In a statement Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who chairs the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, says he supports “delaying the current date … until we can do it right.”