FCC Call Center Receives 900,000 Calls About DTV TVWeek

The FCC Call Center has received 900,000 calls since last Monday from consumers seeking digital TV transition help.

Calls peeked on Friday, the day of the DTV transition, at 317,450 calls. The call center received 145,403 calls on Saturday and 62,949 calls on Sunday, with 28% of Sunday callers looking for help setting up their digital converter box. Twenty-six percent of calls on Sunday were about difficulty receiving a specific station, while 23% had broader reception issues.

Over 235,000 calls seeking convertor box coupon information were transferred to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s call center.

“The FCC is in the midst—not the end—of the DTV transition,” said FCC Acting Chairman Michael Copps. “Our call center remains open, our teams are in the field, and our web site, www.dtv.gov, is updated to reflect the kinds of problems viewers are having.

“This was never going to be an easy transition, as I have said many times,” Copps added. “It appears to have worked well for the majority of over-the-air viewers, but for those who are experiencing a less-satisfactory outcome, we are committed to staying on the job to help.”

Most markets made a smooth transition to digital signals, but the FCC is examining signal loss reports in Chicago, Philadelphia and New York.

—Vlada Gelman