PORTLAND – Several Portland and Oregon groups are working to ensure the transition to DTV is as easy on local consumers as possible.

"Access to communications in the 21st century is not a luxury, it's a necessity," said Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz. "While we usually think of television as entertainment, it also provides critical emergency alerts and important community information. It is important that Portlanders are prepared for the transition, and these organizations that are working diligently to get the word out about the resources that are available to help everyone be prepared for the transition."

The organizations are urging residents to act now before the DTV transition on February 17 changes the way millions of Americans watch TV. The DTV Transition will require millions of Americans to take action in order to maintain access to free over-the-air television. By signing up for the coupon wait list now and taking the necessary steps to convert at least one television in their household, residents can prepare themselves and prevent their televisions from going dark next month.

LCCREF, in partnership with IRCO, is launching a community assistance center. This center will assist the community with the conversion and act as a hub for information and technical support during the transition to digital television. The center will be located at:

10301 NE Glisan

Portland, OR 97220

*IRCO will serve the immigrant and refugee communities of Portland.

"We're opening our center to help Portland residents smoothly transition to digital TV. Many people are concerned that in the midst of this recession they may need to buy an expensive new television or subscribe to a paid service, such as cable in order to continue to have access to television programming but they don't," said Rob Kidirov of IRCO. "Folks who use rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna for over-the-air television signals will need a converter box. If they haven't already signed up for the government coupon program, that provides a discount on the converter box, people should get on the new waiting list now."

The Portland Assistance Center will hold coupon application drives, help distribute coupons, conduct trainings about the converter box options and installation, as well as some in-home installations for their communities.

Elders In Action is working actively to ensure that older adults are prepared for the transition by encouraging people to check in on the older adults in your neighborhood to determine if they have done the steps to keep their televisions working.

"Elders in Action's primary focus for the digital conversion are older adults 60+ and those living independently in Multnomah County," said Leslie Foren. "We have a team of trained volunteers who will help provide technical assistance and installation of converter boxes to those most in need and the most vulnerable."

Oregon Public Broadcasting has been working actively to help educate viewers and listeners about the upcoming transition.

"In addition to our on-air information, OPB is operating a resource call center at 800.241.8123, that is taking calls from individuals seeking additional information about the transition," said Steve Bass. "The call center will also be partnering with available organizations that can deploy individuals in the community to help people troubleshoot technical challenges they may have."

For more information on how the DTV transition will impact vulnerable communities, visit: http://www.civilrights.org/dtv/. To order coupons or for more information on the DTV transition, go to: www.DTV2009.gov or call 1-888-DTV-2009.