Joe the Plumber Helps America Go Digital

Addressing Needs of Elderly, Disabled, and Non-English Speaking Communities

Toledo, OH -- 24 November 2008 - The conversion from Analog-to-Digital is quickly approaching and the needs of those most impacted by the coming transition have yet to be adequately addressed. With less than 90 days until the February 17, 2009 deadline, Ohio retailer VelocityStore.com and Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher are teaming up to reach out to those most impacted by the transition which includes senior citizens, the handicapped and the 54.8 million people in the U.S. who speak a language other than English at home, especially Spanish and Chinese.

To help America through the transition, Joe the Plumber will be hosting a series of videos on VelocityStore's website www.VelocityStore.com telling America everything they need to know about the coming digital TV (DTV) Transition. The videos will explain why the transition is taking place, the public safety benefits, your options, where and how to apply for two free $40.00 coupons, where you can purchase your converters, how to connect your converter and how you can help America Go Digital.

One point of concern that VelocityStore executives and Joe the Plumber have is Tornado season, which traditionally begins March 1st. VelocityStore President, Stephen Holland noted that the timing of the transition is "less than desirable" stating "the public safety issues of this transition should not be taken lightly, language barriers aside, everyone in this country is familiar with the "tone" the Emergency Alert System broadcasts alerting the public of a tornado watch or warning."

The DTV Transition is occurring 11 days before the beginning of tornado season leaving very little time to address the needs of consumers that are not prepared for the transition and lose their television signal.

In addition, according to the FCC, "An important benefit of the switch to all-digital broadcasting is that it will free up parts of the valuable broadcast spectrum for public safety communications (such as police, fire departments, and rescue squads)." "This isn't about politics; it's about doing the right thing," said Joe the Plumber who went on to say that he chose to partner with VelocityStore.com because "they are making a conscious effort to reach out and bring attention to those most impacted by the DTV Transition."

On August 18, 2008 the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) announced a nationwide initiative to increase awareness regarding the upcoming transition to digital television on February 17, 2009. As part of the DTV Outreach Initiative, the five FCC Commissioners and their staff will reach out to 81 markets to raise awareness and educate consumers regarding the DTV transition. The FCC focuses on consumers expected to be directly affected by the DTV transition, including the elderly, the differently abled, and minority communities.

While the federal government is doing its part in reaching out to consumers most affected by the DTV transition, VelocityStore.com is the first (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) NTIA-approved online retailer to address the diverse linguistic needs within the United States, providing all of its website content in English, Spanish, and Chinese, and the company will soon provide similar content for other underrepresented languages. VelocityStore.com educates consumers on the coming DTV transition, consumer options, NTIA coupon information, and types of converters from which to choose.

"With the Internet and VelocityStore.com, technology can help bridge the language gap and help immigrants who have come here to live the American Dream. The ability to break language barriers is important and there is absolutely no reason in the age of the Internet we cannot do our part to assist folks to whom English is not a primary language," said Scott Hiser, CEO of VelocityStore.

Stephen Holland, president of VelocityStore.com, said that February 2009 "will be here sooner than we think. Now is the time for us all to get up to speed on DTV; what is it; what it means to me; what do I need to do; and perhaps most importantly, what can I do for friends and family members? It is imperative that all communities come together for this program and most importantly, assist the elderly, handicapped and non-English speaking people."

Televisions manufactured in the last few years that use digital tuners will be unaffected by the 2009 change to digital. However, analog televisions were still being sold without notice as recently as May 2007. Consumers who own an analog television will need a digital-to-analog converter box to continue to watch broadcast television on that set. This converter box also enables viewers to see any additional multicast programming that local stations offer. To help consumers with the DTV transition, the FCC established the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program. Every U.S. household can receive up to two $40 coupons toward the purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes. The coupons may only be used for eligible converter boxes sold at participating consumer electronics retailers, and must be used at the time of purchase.

Joe the Plumber had some advice for folks still uncertain about the DTV transition. "Go to www.VelocityStore.com or www.dtv2009.gov and signup for your free $40.00 coupon from the NTIA. Once you get your coupon, come back to VelocityStore.com and purchase your TV Converter," said Joe the Plumber. "Don't wait until it is too late, and you are without your television!" Digital-to-analog converter boxes retail from $40 to $70 each. For more information on the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program, consumers can visit the NTIA's Web site at www.dtv2009.gov, or call 1-888-388-2009 (voice) or 1-877-530-2634 (TTY) or visit www.VelocityStore.com.

The videos are available for view here "Joe the Plumber helps DTV Transistion".