Forums | MacLife

Bat · 2009-01-23 8:18 pm

Bill to delay digital transition until June is expected to pass unanimously in Senate

The digital transition set to happen on February 17, 2009 has been talked about for years now. It's hard to watch TV on local stations that broadcast over-the-air without being blasted with numerous reminders that if you watch over-the-air, you will need a converter.

Despite the incessant reminders that the digital transition is set for next month, there is an astonishing number of TV viewers across the country that are not ready for the transition. Today the Nielsen Company reported that the number of homes in the U.S. not ready for the digital transition totals 6.5 million.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=14037

And the coupon program ran out of money early this month.

Donkey Butter · 2009-01-24 10:51 am

it doesn't matter how long they postpone the switch, there will always be people that aren't ready.

switch it in February and be done with it.

matt · 2009-01-24 11:22 am

I wish they wouldn't delay it.

mo' ron · 2009-01-24 3:35 pm

I support the delay on the basis that they ran out of coupons. It's grossly irresponsible to have the switch anywhere, when there are still people who couldn't get the equipment they needed because the government screwed up. There is always going to be people who aren't ready, but the coupon program should have been properly funded.

ScifiterX · 2009-01-24 5:44 pm

mo' ron wrote:
I support the delay on the basis that they ran out of coupons. It's grossly irresponsible to have the switch anywhere, when there are still people who couldn't get the equipment they needed because the government screwed up. There is always going to be people who aren't ready, but the coupon program should have been properly funded.

mrreet2001 · 2009-01-24 7:53 pm

I say do it now or do it never shrug

decker · 2009-01-24 7:56 pm

The cost of the advertising for this switch has to be huge. Why would anyone support doing it again? Also, switching the date will just confuse people further.

Instead of passing a bill to delay the transition, pass a bill to supply more of the coupons. It will be much simpler and cheaper in the long run.

ScifiterX · 2009-01-24 11:22 pm

I don't think they feel they can get the funding passed in time.

matt · 2009-01-24 11:30 pm

mo' ron wrote:
I support the delay on the basis that they ran out of coupons. It's grossly irresponsible to have the switch anywhere, when there are still people who couldn't get the equipment they needed because the government screwed up. There is always going to be people who aren't ready, but the coupon program should have been properly funded.

Widespread availability of digital televisions and the absence of classic analog televisions from the market and lack of support thereof should hasten price drops.

jkahless · 2009-01-25 1:44 am

Why in the hell should the government pay for people's upgrades? You don't need a bleeding tv, or are they going to start buying people boob tubes too?

zeitgeist · 2009-01-25 5:02 am

jkahless wrote:
Why in the hell should the government pay for people's upgrades? You don't need a bleeding tv, or are they going to start buying people boob tubes too?

If they're passing legislation that's going to force the obsolescence of millions of people's TVs, TVs that would work just fine for years to come without their meddling, they should bleeding well pay for the consequences. Not everyone can afford to buy new TVs.

Are TVs a requiement? No. Why the heck is the government meddling in the standards then? They should have left well enough alone.

Steyr AUG · 2009-01-25 8:14 am

zeitgeist wrote:
Are TVs a requiement? No. Why the heck is the government meddling in the standards then? They should have left well enough alone.

Because analog transmissions are an incredible waste of already limited bandwidth, especially in that area of the spectrum. ATV needs to go away. Now.

zeitgeist · 2009-01-25 8:55 am

Steyr AUG wrote:
zeitgeist wrote:
Are TVs a requiement? No. Why the heck is the government meddling in the standards then? They should have left well enough alone.
Because analog transmissions are an incredible waste of already limited bandwidth, especially in that area of the spectrum. ATV needs to go away. Now.

Well, then they can go right ahead and pay for the people forced to switch.

As they're already doing that, I'm not really all that concerned.

Aqua OS X · 2009-01-25 2:34 pm

As someone who has lived without TV, I assure you, actual information can acquired from listening to the radio and or reading. Moreover, entertainment does exist outside the confines of the tube.

Make the switch already... people will live.

mrreet2001 · 2009-01-25 4:25 pm

zeitgeist wrote:
jkahless wrote:
Why in the hell should the government pay for people's upgrades? You don't need a bleeding tv, or are they going to start buying people boob tubes too?
If they're passing legislation that's going to force the obsolescence of millions of people's TVs, TVs that would work just fine for years to come without their meddling, they should bleeding well pay for the consequences. Not everyone can afford to buy new TVs.

Are TVs a requiement? No. Why the heck is the government meddling in the standards then? They should have left well enough alone.

That has to be the most illogical statement I have heard this week.

Aqua OS X · 2009-01-25 4:38 pm

The government should pay for us to watch Lost.

Bat · 2009-01-25 4:58 pm

The coupon funding program was a drop in the bucket compared to what they sold the (formerly) public airwaves for. They should compensate some of the forced changeover price and no, not everyone can afford a shiny new DTV. Compensation is especially appropriate since a lot of public, emergency notifications go out on TV.

"This has been a test of the Emergency Broadcast System."

Bat · 2009-01-27 10:30 pm

MSNBC reports that the Senate has unanimously approved the bill to delay the transition to the June 12 date that the Obama administration wants. The delay is seen as a victory for the Obama administration and for Democrats in Congress who have been lobbying for a delay in the transition date.

The Nielsen Company performed a survey that found 6.5 million homes in America were unprepared for the digital transition and would lose the ability to watch TV after the transition. Funds in government coffers to help offset the cost of the converters for Americans dried up this month despite a long backlist of requests for the coupons.

Additional funds for the program are only being added as coupons that were requested and then not used expire after the 90-day usage window originally granted. The bill that was approved by the Senate will let those who asked for coupons and then didn’t use them apply for a new coupon. MSNBC reports that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is administering the coupon program, had 2.6 million coupon requests on its waiting list as of last week.
..

Gene Kimmelman from the Consumers Union says, "The government has failed to deliver the converter boxes these [elderly and low-income] people deserve just to keep watching free, over-the-air broadcast signals."

Republicans in both the House and Senate are concerned that a delay in the transition will do nothing but confuse consumers and cost broadcasters money. Paula Kerger from the Public Broadcasting Service claims that delaying the digital transition from February to June 12 could cost public broadcasters $22 million.

Part of the wording in the Senate approved bill will let broadcasters who have already purchased the needed equipment for digital broadcasts to transition to all digital in February, even if the House votes to approve the delay in the transition. The House is expected to vote on the bill next week.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=14065

..not to mention slightly OT but related issues like widespread problems in resizing/cropping image size, unresolved A/V synching isssues etc.

avkills · 2009-01-28 7:49 am

zeitgeist wrote:
jkahless wrote:
Why in the hell should the government pay for people's upgrades? You don't need a bleeding tv, or are they going to start buying people boob tubes too?
If they're passing legislation that's going to force the obsolescence of millions of people's TVs, TVs that would work just fine for years to come without their meddling, they should bleeding well pay for the consequences. Not everyone can afford to buy new TVs.

Are TVs a requiement? No. Why the heck is the government meddling in the standards then? They should have left well enough alone.

Maybe if you worked in the production field you would understand why analog TVs are such a pain in the ass.

Of those millions of people who supposedly actually still use rabbit ears or big ass antennas on their roofs, obviously TV isn't that important to them otherwise they would have gotten cable or dish by now.

Make the switch already; it is doing more harm than good delaying and delaying and delaying.

-mark

Steyr AUG · 2009-01-28 4:14 pm

Thankfully the proposal to delay died in the house.

appletool · 2009-01-28 5:27 pm

Steyr AUG wrote:
Thankfully the proposal to delay died in the house.

That makes me happy, I am so tired of seeing adds for the switch deadline.

ScifiterX · 2009-01-28 7:17 pm

So you'd rather see news report run ad nauseum that 6.5 million homes in America were unprepared for the digital transition because the funding ran out in stead of seeing ads for the switch deadline run ad nauseum?

Bat · 2009-01-28 11:10 pm

appletool wrote:
Steyr AUG wrote:
Thankfully the proposal to delay died in the house.
That makes me happy, I am so tired of seeing adds for the switch deadline.

Better take your Dramamine, then.

Wednesday's 258-168 House vote failed to clear the two-thirds threshold [..]

The defeat is a setback for President Barack Obama and Democrats on Capitol Hill, who maintain that the Bush administration bungled efforts to ensure that all consumers — particularly poor, rural and low-income Americans — will be ready for next month's analog shut-off. The Obama administration had no immediate comment on the House vote.

Despite Wednesday's setback, House Democrats are not out of options.

Gene Kimmelman, vice president for federal policy at the Consumers Union, which has been lobbying for a delay, said he hopes the House will bring the bill up again for a regular floor vote, which would only require majority support to pass. Wednesday's vote took place under a special procedure that required two-thirds support for passage.

House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said he is working with the Obama administration and congressional leaders to explore all available options.

"A clear majority in Congress supports postponing the transition and providing assistance to the millions of households that are unprepared," Waxman said in a statement.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28896344

Jasoco · 2009-01-29 12:28 am

Donkey Butter wrote:
it doesn't matter how long they postpone the switch, there will always be people that aren't ready.

switch it in February and be done with it.

This.

I mean for the love of Christ. There will always be people not ready because well let's face it, a lot of Americans are lazy procrastinators. What's the best way to motivate a procrastinator? Force them. Take away their TV and maybe they'll get off their lazy asses and do something about it. I don't mean go out and buy an expensive TV. Just shop around for a converter box. Damn the coupon, it'll only buy you one anyway and only part of one. Just buy the boxes already. And if you don't want to, too bad. Do without TV (And God knows a lot of this American Idol driven society could do without TV.) or move to another country that already has gone digital. America is behind. And I wish we wouldn't cater to the lazy asses.

SWITCH ALL READY! Delay it to June or July and what's next? Delay to February 2010? Then June 2010? Then 2011? 2012? ENOUGH! Flip the goddamned switch and be done with it! There has been enough warning for years. There has been tests. We are as ready as we are going to be.

nayrk · 2009-02-01 6:39 am

I realize I am late to the party, but I hope they just let it all go digital on the 17th.

I don't care how many more coupons you dish out, I've seen so many people wait until the last minute to buy their boxes that the card expires or expires right before they checkout. Seriously no joke.

People will be unprepared no matter the situation. Best bet i say would be to have it as a tax deduction. You buy X converters (reciept has code for tax time) you'll get X off your taxes.

Forums | MacLife

#1 2009-01-23 8:18 pm

'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#2 2009-01-24 10:51 am

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#3 2009-01-24 11:22 am

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#4 2009-01-24 3:35 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#5 2009-01-24 5:44 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

mo' ron wrote:

#6 2009-01-24 7:53 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#7 2009-01-24 7:56 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#8 2009-01-24 11:22 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#9 2009-01-24 11:30 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

mo' ron wrote:

#10 2009-01-25 1:44 am

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#11 2009-01-25 5:02 am

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

jkahless wrote:

#12 2009-01-25 8:14 am

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

zeitgeist wrote:

#13 2009-01-25 8:55 am

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

Steyr AUG wrote:

zeitgeist wrote:

#14 2009-01-25 2:34 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#15 2009-01-25 4:25 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

zeitgeist wrote:

jkahless wrote:

#16 2009-01-25 4:38 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#17 2009-01-25 4:58 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#18 2009-01-27 10:30 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#19 2009-01-28 7:49 am

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

zeitgeist wrote:

jkahless wrote:

#20 2009-01-28 4:14 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#21 2009-01-28 5:27 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

Steyr AUG wrote:

#22 2009-01-28 7:17 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

#23 2009-01-28 11:10 pm

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

appletool wrote:

Steyr AUG wrote:

#24 2009-01-29 12:28 am

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

Donkey Butter wrote:

#25 2009-02-01 6:39 am

Re: 'Senate Expected to Pass Bill to Delay Digital Transition'

Board footer