(CN) - A legal traffic jam can be expected on Feb. 17, when more than a quarter of major U.S. TV stations plan to shut down their analog broadcasting and go completely digital, despite President Obama's request that they wait until June. Congress last week extended the deadline until June 12; money has run out for a federal program that subsidizes converter boxes, and there's a waiting list for coupons.
The FCC told The Associated Press this week that 491 of the 1,796 full-power U.S. TV stations have told the Commission that they intend to switch to all-digital on Feb. 17. The FCC can order stations not to do that.
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