The prospect of postponing the widely publicized but oft-delayed digital conversion emerged Thursday (Jan. 9th) when the head of Obama's transition team, John Podesta, wrote a letter to key members of Congress claiming that "the most vulnerable Americans" -- those without satellite or cable TV service, many elderly or poor or located in remote and mountainous areas -- were ill-informed and unprepared for the big day.

On Saturday, in a one-on-one session at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Martin defended the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) -- the agency responsible for completing the digital switch. However, Martin faulted a coupon program, managed by NTIA, that was supposed to provide every terrestrial-broadcast TV owner a $40 subsidy to buy an analog/digital conversion box.

As of this week, according to Podesta and other critics, some 7.8 million analog consumers (6.8 percent of all the TVs in the U.S.) lack conversion boxes, while the NTIA has run out of $40 coupons and has no money to issue new ones.

Martin agreed that the coupon program has stumbled. "We've seen increased demand and as a result the program doesn't have enough resources." In fact, the NTIA has exhausted its budget of $1.34 billion for conversion boxes and is requesting another $500 million from Congress.

Asked by his interviewer, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Chairman Gary Shapiro, if -- despite criticism and the wishes of the Obama team -- he preferred to 'hold firm" on February 17th, Martin said he did, but with a Kiplingesque caveat: "if we can figure out how to solve the coupon problem without moving the date."

Martin, although disappointed in the coupon program, deflected blame from the NTIA to Congress, which included in its digital conversion legislation a requirement that all coupons expire within 90 days.

Currently, there are 13 million unredeemed and expired coupons somewhere in circulation.