It seems everywhere I look in the paper today, there's an example of how our government is being positioned as our social and economic savior. I'll start with this...
Headline: "Obama urges delaying digital TV switchover"
If you haven't heard, and it's hard to believe anyone hasn't (you just may not care), the analog transmissions that TV stations have been using since the dawn of television are being requisitioned by the government for resale. This means no more rabbit ears or foil-laced contraptions to snatch the signal out of the air.
The vast majority of folks have already long moved past receiving air-based analog signals, favoring, instead, many of the higher bandwidth options available, such as cable or satellite. And digital transmission technologies are being used more and more by content providers.
So for the past 2-3 years, the government has been spreading the word that February 17, 2009 is the date that analog signals get shut down. They've spent millions on notifications alone; commercials on TV, mainly, to alert people that they may lose their signal if they don't purchase a special digital-to-analog converter box that would keep their TV sets from being rendered useless.
Congress also allocated $1.34 billion to reimburse the cost of the converter (which runs about $80 each) so that folks wouldn't have to pay out of pocket.
Now the part that gets me is that Obama is maintaining that too many folks who rely on analog TV won't be ready. I'm sorry, but this is not new information. In 2-3 years, there is little doubt that the majority of folks who need to know already do. I'm not sure what people expect the government to do to ensure that there is 100% awareness, short of sending folks door-to-door.
Further, there is an apparent shortage of the converters, and the $1.34 billion has already been spent in rebates. I imagine that there is no real shortage; it's likely that many people (geeks like me) who don't really need a converter bought one or more anyway, just to tinker with a free toy.
The other part that gets me in this story is that "Obama officials are concerned also that the government is not doing enough to help Americans -- particularly those in rural, poor or minority communities -- prepare for the transition."
Of course government isn't doing enough...it never is. Government should be all things to all people, right?
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1 comment:
Amen, brother. I don't claim to know what it is like to live in a poor rural or minority community, but presuming that the aim is to save their ability to watch TV, I'd guess those TV watching folks have seen the incessant ads warning them of the switch already. I've seen the ads. I value my ability to watch TV. I've made accomodations for the switch. Pretty straightforward.
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