USA to delay digital TV switch

[bigdaddy]

....to June 12.

The government is so stupid. I got my coupons months ago, but only used one of them because they expire in only 90 days. Then they won't give me another because I already got my two, even through I only used one. So this bill will fix that, thankfully.

However they need to push it further back, to August at least. You know how slow the government works so the coupons most likely won't be ready until July.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate passed a bill on Monday to delay the nationwide switch to digital TV signals, giving consumers nearly four more months to prepare.
The transition date would move to June 12 from February 17 under the bill that was fueled by worries that viewers are not technically ready for the congressionally-mandated switch-over.
It also would allow consumers with expired coupons, available from the government to offset the cost of a $40 converter box, to request new coupons. The government ran out of coupons earlier this month, and about 2.5 million Americans are on a waiting list for them.
Senate Commerce Chairman John Rockefeller said delaying the TV switch is the right thing to do because the United States is not yet ready to make the transition.
"The Senate acted responsibly to give the Obama administration time to attempt to bring order to a mismanaged process," the West Virginia Democrat said in a statement.
Many lawmakers worry that an estimated 20 million mostly poor, elderly and rural households are not ready for the switch, which requires owners of older television sets receiving over-the-air signals to buy a converter box or subscribe to cable or satellite TV.

 

[Trekker4747]

People have had quite some time to get the damn coupons.

And if they don't have the coupons. Oh the noes! They get no TV until they can part with $40 to buy the damn convertor.

 

[FalTorPan]

Leaving aside my opinion that mandating a cutover from analog to digital is unnecessary, I see no reason why the government should hand out the coupons to begin with. TV isn't a right.

 

[Kryton]

For many years the FCC has had a mandate to employ technological changeovers in the most bend-over-backward way so the viewer isn't adversely affected. Changes like the addition of color TV signals were done in a way that would not force existing technology to become obsolete. Your old black & white TV would handle the color signal fine.

Now they're trying to continue that by subsidizing adapter boxes because the entire concept of the analog tuner is being forced into obsolescence. This is actually a pretty rare and unusual step for a government mandate of this sort in the US.

 

[Scout101]

what a waste of time and money. pushing it back will accomplish nothing, and we'll have the same problems in June instead. The same morons who couldn't take care of this over the past 2 years won't do anything now, either. And the people that waited until the last minute to request a coupon deserve to have to pay the extra cost...

 

[Dream]

Just watch. People STILL won't be ready when June 12th arrives since they'll still be waiting until the last minute.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

I wonder if there's something not ready BEHIND the scenes, and making sure the public is ready is really the excuse.

 

[John Picard]

People have had quite some time to get the damn coupons.

And if they don't have the coupons. Oh the noes! They get no TV until they can part with $40 to buy the damn convertor.

90% of the US market (consumers and stations) are ready for the switch. I was well aware of the switch, but on 2/17 it would have been nothing but snow for me -- my choice.

On another note, you, Trekker, keep talking smack about these $40 converter boxes. I hate to tell you this, but I spent a good day of online browsing for converter boxes, and there are no $40 boxes, and it isn't until the price hits $120+ that the boxes have any degree of reliability or will even work properly. At that price, one might as well go ahead and buy a new TV.

You of all people should rejoice in the delay. After all, the Democrats are the ones who "look out for the people". This time, they finally looked out for me

 

[Trekker4747]

Please tell me where I can buy an HDTV for $120.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

And four months from now those same people still won't be ready for the digital transition. Why is it that only the people who don't need the damned things are savvy enough to know to be ready for it?

My problem with those coupons is you can be guaranteed the boxes will cost more than however much they give you. If the coupons were for $250 the boxes somehow would cost $300.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The TV industry is scared to death. If consumers are too stupid to get their converter boxes, they sit in the dark, so what? Maybe they can do something more creative with their time. Stupidity won't cost them much.

But if that happens the TV industry sees their ratings tank - they are the ones with a motive to push this thing back into the summer season, when ratings are low anyway.

Even worse, the stupid technophobes who can't figure out this digitial stuff are the ones who can't figure out how to use TiVO to keep from watching ads. Stupid technophobes are increasingly the economic backbone of the TV industry. The TV honchos aren't going to risk losing their favorite kind of viewer.

 

[Lindley]

Even $120 isn't much money these days. If you can't afford it, go get you know your neighbor a bit until you can.

 

[Lindley]

Stupid technophobes are increasingly the economic backbone of the TV industry.

And suddenly, the jigsaw comes together on so many things.....

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Even $120 isn't much money these days.

In this economy? It's a lot, for a lot of people, who are barely hanging on by their finger and toenails.

If you can't afford it, go get you know your neighbor a bit until you can.

Most people would rather go without TV than be nice to their neighbors!

But this is all being pushed by TV lobbyists, not by concern for consumers. Count on it. That's why suddenly the conversion will happen in June, when ratings are low anyway. Feb is a horrible month for the conversion because that's supposed to be one of the primo months for ratings.

 

[John Picard]

Even $120 isn't much money these days.

In this economy? It's a lot, for a lot of people, who are barely hanging on by their finger and toenails.

If you can't afford it, go get you know your neighbor a bit until you can.

Most people would rather go without TV than be nice to their neighbors!

But this is all being pushed by TV lobbyists, not by concern for consumers. Count on it. That's why suddenly the conversion will happen in June, when ratings are low anyway. Feb is a horrible month for the conversion because that's supposed to be one of the primo months for ratings.

Actually, the cell phone companies bid up the spectrum that TV is leaving behind. The plan for that is for wireless broadband for rural people who cannot get high speed InterWeb.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

Even $120 isn't much money these days. If you can't afford it, go get you know your neighbor a bit until you can.

You must not watch the news lately. Even if the signal ISN'T digital.

Have you seen the list of big business layoffs so far for the year that came out today?

Yeah. Money is money, and it's getting scary how little is making the rounds these days.

 

[LutherSloan]

I totally called this months ago when I started seeing the commercials. At the time I said to myself, 'I can bet anything that they won't meet that February deadline.' Sure enough, here we are.

 

[Lindley]

Sometimes I do forget about the economic situation, I guess. It doesn't affect me very directly.

 

[Trekker4747]

A "one time payment" of $120 isn't a whole lot, even in our tough economy.

$30 a week for a month? $15 a week for two months? $10 a week for a year?

We've known and been told over and over about this switch for several years. We've been told over and over for several years that those who use OTA TV and do not have an HDTV will need the convertor.

If that one-time payment of $120 is going to ruin you then TV isn't your biggest concern and maybe you shouldn't worry about the damn convertor box.

This isn't new news. We've known about this for a looooooong time. People have had their chance to get the damn box, the rebate, a new TV, a good cable plan, all of that.

It's time to leave them behind. The signals being used by analogue TV broadcasts are needed for other uses -pretty much the entire reason why they're being moved to the higher freqs. for HDTV. People need to get with it!

 

[bigdaddy]

I had the coupons when the boxes were $60-$80 because they were new, that's not fair to me.

The boxes should be free from the government! They will make billions selling the airwaves. Congress needs to get off their asses and just make as money coupons as needed for FREE boxes.

Congress should be giving away coupons because it's not right that people spent money on their nice TVs that work fine just to be told by the government that they aren't any good anymore? That's bullshit. That's the main issue with this, it isn't because people waited until the last second it's because the government was too stupid to make enough coupons.

A $120 is enough food for me for about 2 months, depending on what I buy, so that is a lot of money.

Delaying it to summer does make sense because it's rerun season anyways. i htink on whatever date they pick every channel should just have a black screen with white letters saying "Buy a damn box!"