Despite the warning signs from what happened when the U.S. moved to digital television and concern from his own country's networks and consumer advocates, Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement is pushing ahead with his country's analog-to-digital TV transition.
As of August 2011, when the switch is flipped, about 900,000 Canadian TV households will have to either get digital TVs or some form of analog-to-digital set-top. For another 44,000, even that won't be enough; they'll need a satellite dish because they won't be able to get the TV signals and they can't get cable.
Clement, perhaps having missed the multiple delays and glitches that happened when the U.S. transitioned last year (the government had 4,000 operators on hand 24/7 to handle complaints), believes things will be different in the Great White North. "If we stick to the deadline and actually have quite a detailed plan, it should not create any misery for Canadians," he said.
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