It was a sigh of relief for the Americans who still depend on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals, when the House of Representatives nullified the Feb. 17 digital TV transition deadline and extended the date of transition to June 12.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives, voting 264-158, extended the deadline to June 12, which was supported by the President Barack Obama. It was Okayed by the Senate last week.

The move was supported by the Democrats who advocated that "many Americans still rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals, and they are not ready for the transition," while the Republicans argued that the delay will confuse consumers and will put extra financial burden on television station that would have to continue airing both analog and digital signals.

In a statement, the White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said, "The passage of this bipartisan legislation means that millions of Americans will have the time they need to prepare for the conversion. We will continue to work with Congress to improve the information and assistance available to American consumers in advance of June 12, especially those in the most vulnerable communities."

During the House debate, Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, said, "We are not ready for this transition. We can fix these problems and minimize this catastrophe if we pass this legislation."

According to the Nielsen report, over 6.5 million American are still not ready for the transition; they could see their TV sets going dark, if the authorities go ahead for transition.

Thus, the postponement of the digital TV transition deadline to June 12 has given about four extra months to the people who were not ready for the transition. They have now got ample of time to get ready for the national switch over to digital TV.