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Since the digital transition last month, Olga Nava said she has had nothing but problems with her television.
After deciding to purchase a digital converter box instead of paying for cable, the San Antonian said she has gone through two antennas, with neither having much luck finding a signal.
“I’m not going to spend any more on an antenna,” she said Friday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on West Commerce Street, where volunteers offered advice and help to senior citizens still confused about the conversion to digital signals. “I don’t like the digital. To me, they made a big mistake.”
Nava was one of several who regularly attend the senior citizens center at the church for lunch, bingo or dancing. But on Friday, the day’s activities were dedicated to helping them understand the digital transition that took effect June 12.
Melissa Palacios, DTV project coordinator for the William C. Velasquez Institute, said many people in San Antonio still don’t have a strong television signal. The deadline, she said, to apply for a coupon to purchase a digital converter box is Friday.
“The FCC funded nonprofit community action groups to help with DTV because we know the community best,” Palacios said. “It’s a good thing because this has been a bit of a search-and-rescue mission with many people still having problems.”
Palacios said the FCC believed San Antonio was well-prepared for the digital TV transition, but senior citizens and Spanish-speaking citizens continue to have problems with their converter boxes, obtaining government coupons or understanding what has happened.
The South Texas Resource and Assistance Center also had representatives at the event, offering to help with coupon applications and signing up people who need their converter boxes installed.
STRAC will continue to help with installation after the Friday deadline, officials said.
Despite months of preparation, information about last month’s transition didn’t reach many senior citizens and Spanish-speaking communities, said Imelda Morales, San Antonio’s campaign coordinator for the Leadership Conference for Civil Rights.
“Someone helping you in person is different than hearing it on the radio or seeing it on TV,” Morales said. “This is very foreign for them and they need real people to help them.”
For more information, call the LCCR at (210) 237-5119. For free installation, call STRAC at (830) 393-7888.
Source: mysanantonio.com
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