Seems like the logical solution will be for tech-savvy types to volunteer their services (and also for cable companies to provide low-rate basic service for retirement and nursing homes):
Page said his TV is often all that breaks the solitude of his days at Friendship Terrace Apartments, a retirement community in Northwest Washington.
“For people who are alone, the TV is the only voice you hear,” said Page, who mostly watches news and documentary programs. He also recently got hooked on “That ’70s Show” reruns, which remind him of a different time. “It’s a little frightening to hear about such a vast change.”
Americans’ awareness of the digital transition is increasing, surveys show, but many people are still confused about steps they need to take to avoid losing TV when the older signals expire on Feb. 17, 2009.
Those with satellite and cable subscriptions, as well as those with newer digital TV sets, should not have to do anything to keep watching TV. But consumers with analog sets will likely have to buy a special converter box and, in some cases, a new antenna to receive digital signals.
Navigating these complexities hits the elderly harder because they’re least likely to own a digital TV, according to recent surveys by Centris and Consumers Union. They also have less access to the Internet, which is a major source of information about the transition, said Joel Kelsey, policy analyst for Consumers Union.
“The elderly population is different in that they’re less tech-savvy,” Kelsey said. “Will they be able to move big TV sets, and will they know how to hook up the converter boxes?”
Those with satellite and cable subscriptions,…should not have to do anything to keep watching TV.
Not necessarily. A friend and I were talking about this the other evening. Her cable provider (Comcast) has told its subscribers that they will need to get converter boxes. Time Warner has told its subscribers that whether or not they have digital service, they won’t need converter boxes. (Digital subscribers will get better pictures, though. And TW is using the changeover to push subscribers to get digital service.) It’s best to double-check with your cable provider.