The Digital Transition
|
|
Many people don't know this yet, but on February 17, 2009 anyone with a TV that watches the regular broadcasting stations without cable or satellite will see blackness when they go to watch the news or their favorite TV show. Congress has mandated the broadcasters move to digital and free up the spectrum they were using for other new wireless enterprises.
The problem is that this transition means that an average of 15% of the population will have to buy a converter box for their old TV or buy a new one to get news, programming and emergency information. There is a campaign to educate people about the change and even a $40 coupon for the converter box for whoever wants one. But...no one is telling us about it.
The Colorado General Assembly had a joint resolution that encouraged more education for the transition, but many of the legislators felt the coupons were a corporate give-away and therefore did not support the education of Colorado on this issue.
While this may or may not be a valid point, the poorest people, minorities, people with disabilities and people in rural areas are the most affected by this lack of education. Call your state legislator and tell them that we don't want to leave our most needy out in the cold. Anyone should be able to turn on their TV for the news or emergency information, not only those that can afford cable.
The problem is that this transition means that an average of 15% of the population will have to buy a converter box for their old TV or buy a new one to get news, programming and emergency information. There is a campaign to educate people about the change and even a $40 coupon for the converter box for whoever wants one. But...no one is telling us about it.
The Colorado General Assembly had a joint resolution that encouraged more education for the transition, but many of the legislators felt the coupons were a corporate give-away and therefore did not support the education of Colorado on this issue.
While this may or may not be a valid point, the poorest people, minorities, people with disabilities and people in rural areas are the most affected by this lack of education. Call your state legislator and tell them that we don't want to leave our most needy out in the cold. Anyone should be able to turn on their TV for the news or emergency information, not only those that can afford cable.
The National Association of Broadcasters have a series of ads that do a much better job of educating consumers, as does 9News. (They have the easiest and most user-friendly web applet at Link it will tell you what you need to do...which for 85% of consumers is NOTHING.)
The main reason that you don't see a lot of ads for the DTV converter boxes is that they've barely hit the market. There's no point in making a TV spot that says "You need THIS box" and not have anywhere to send them to get one.
Still, the Republicans in the State Assembly used that event to hoot and screech about the "Evil Federal Gov't" and their land grab from the City of Golden (which was trying to do their own land grab to shake down all the Metro Denver TV Stations)and other Red-Meat GOP issues.
The DTV transition is like any other issue involving consumer choice - you need to find out what's true and false and make your own decision.
My family has been happily (well, mostly except for the cost increases) on cable (no more) or Dish Network (fired) and now DishTV for more than 10 years. The only transmission my rooftop antenna pulls in is jazz and NPR news (figure it out yourself).
Claiming that the digital broadcast transition will disenfranchise rural America is an actvist searching for a cause. Exaggeration is the fastest road to donations and to generate a "following."
It was the farmers, ranchers and mountain folk who led the way in the '70s with six-foot satellite dishes. There is no shortage of competition and choice in the current market.
The multitudes of "victims" of digital TV strikes me as a blatant exaggeration with no basis in fact. Sigh, the presence of Luddites continues...