How long have those nagging reminders about the Feb. 17 switch from analog to digital been crawling and crackling across our television screens? A year? Longer?

An eternity, it has seemed — but with stellar results. Nearly 94 percent of households are ready to go, according to Nielsen Media Services.

Nonetheless, late last week — with more than a month left for the remaining 6.2 percent of Americans to finally take action — President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team asked Congress to delay the long-ballyhooed date to convert the nation’s broadcast system from analog to entirely digital signals.

Broadcasters fumed, and who could blame them? For months, they have been airing commercials, crawls and even entire shows not only to inform the public about the switchover but to explain to viewers exactly how to connect converter boxes.

The request for a delay can’t be blamed on a shortage of converter boxes. And it isn’t because there’s no money left in the federal government’s $1.34 billion program to help consumers offset converter-box costs with $40 coupons.

The problem is that only about half the coupons issued have been redeemed, and last week the Commerce Department announced that because of a cap on coupons it couldn’t send out any more until older, unused ones expire. It’s a problem easily fixed.

No one has to tell Minnesotans how critical all of this is. The state ranks third in the nation with 21.5 percent of households receiving television signals via rabbit ears.

But most of us are ready to go and shouldn’t be made to wait for a few procrastinators.

As KQDS-TV Channel 21 General Manager Dave Hileman pointed out: “No matter when we go, someone will not be ready.”

So let’s go, without delay, on Feb. 17.

— Duluth News Tribune, Jan. 14