Obama urges laggards get ready for digital TV

[DanS]

So the transition has come and gone. The analog stations are off. The TV stations have turned up the power on their digital signals. And the few laggard TV stations have finally turned over to digital. And it was no big deal.

With the equivalent of rabbit ears, I get 11 stations broadcasting 29 channels whereas I got maybe a half-dozen fuzzy channels with analog. Obama delayed me receiving all of these stations for 4 months.

[DinoDoc]

I pictured you as having cable for some reason, Dan.

[Dis]

what neanderthal doesn't have cable of satellite these days?

I don't, but I don't watch tv. My converter is still wrapped up in the box. But it's there in case I need it. If there's ever an emergency I can get it out and hook it up to get info over the tv. Although I'd probably just get it over the radio instead . Maybe one of these days I'll hook it up, but I see little point.

I lived without a tv in the navy, so it's really not as traumatic as it would have once sounded. Now if the networks ever release a tv show that isn't about celebrities are attention whore regular people in a reality show, I may watch it again.

[-Jrabbit]

Obama delayed me receiving all of these stations for 4 months.

The delay was necessary because the long-planned transition was fubared by the Bush admin. Why would Obama want to take the PR hit for that, just a couple weeks into his term of office? Heck, his nominee to chair the FCC still isn't confirmed, and the previous one (Martin), vacated his seat early.

DTV Delay: A Good Idea
Scott Nichols
Jan 27, 2009 10:30 am

On Monday, the Senate voted to delay the switch to digital TV signals; now, instead of the switch taking place on February 17, it has been pushed back to June 12. The main reason for the delay is because not all households are prepared for the switch.

$40 coupons had been offered to households that needed a digital converter box, but funding for those coupons has dried up and needs to be reallocated. It would be foolhardy for the government to mandate a vast change, like the switch to digital TV signals, without providing a solution to ensure everyone is prepared for the change.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/158404/dtv_delay_a_good_idea.html

To be fair, the transition was poorly handled by the broadcast industry as well. But the core reasons for the delay were:
-the public was poorly informed on the original transition plan, and
-funding for the $40 converter coupons had long-since dried up (Allegedly, because speculators had snatched them long before most individuals were aware they might need them. Dis is a good example.)

[DinoDoc]

-...them long before most individuals were aware they might need them. Dis is a good example.)

Idiots, you mean?

[Dis]

not really, had the transition been earlier, I would have got the converter earlier. All they did was delay when I had to buy a converter. I really don't think it was necessary. But there were problems with the coupons. they did not anticipate that many being used.

[SlowwHand]

Rubbish. What they knew was that the country is made up of procrastinators.

[Dis]

ahh I admit in being a procrastinator. but pushing it back didn't really cause me to procrastinate any less. I still bought the converter one day before the transition. So all they really did was delay my procrastination.

[Thoth]

Procrastination should always be put off for another day.

[DaShi]

Obama was right again.

[SlowwHand]

Oh, gawd.

[DaShi]

[SlowwHand]

I have a good-natured bet for you. I'll bet you a quarter that one year from today, Obama is completely gray haired. Want to bet?

[DaShi]

Heck no.

[DanS]

I pictured you as having cable for some reason, Dan.

I'm preparing to get rid of cable TV and the landline. It's hella expensive after the local government adds on all sorts of taxes on these services.