| Efforts to change socio-technical systems frequently come up against barriers; this certainly proved to be the case with the U.S. digital television (DTV) transition. This study examined the DTV transition to determine the problems that caused delays in the transition date (the transition deadline was moved twice, many home viewers were unprepared and there seemed to be general confusion surrounding the transition). The study shows that the transition initially relied on the marketplace to make the transition occur. Further, the study notes that the DTV transition lacked the necessary incentives and consumer education for a successful transition. Lastly, the study notes that there was a lack of coordination among the shareholders and stakeholders. These 'problem areas' combined to delay the U.S. DTV transition - the original date for the transition was December 31, 2006, then it was moved to February 17, 2009, then, with six days prior to the 17th, it was postponed to June 12, 2009 (over 20 years from inception to completion).;The study examines the literature on large-scale socio-technical change to see what insights and techniques are offered to overcome the problems that hindered the transition to digital television. It concludes that there are techniques which policy makers could have utilized to overcome the issues that arose with the transition. |
