Senate Delays Digital TV Transition; Will The Situation Be Any Different In June?
from the doubtful dept
It still makes little sense to us to delay the digital TV switchover beyond February 17th. The switch has already been delayed for nearly a decade, and anyone who doesn't know about it yet isn't likely to know about it when June roles around either. Yet, for political expediency, it looks like the Senate has approved plans to move the transition back to June (the House still needs to vote on this, but it seems likely to pass), which will end up slowing the rollout of various wireless services, thereby harming most consumers a lot more than this helps them. Hopefully, in June, politicians don't roll over again and push back the date again.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: congress, delay, digital tv
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This isn't surprising news at all.
Good thing many cable broadcasters are telling the government to shove it, as they're switching regardless of the deadline.
Sadly, billions will be wasted with this delay which is not a good thing to do as many jobs just vanished when they're desperately needed by people.
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Re: This isn't surprising news at all.
Quote Twinrova;
"Good thing many cable broadcasters are telling the government to shove it, as they're switching regardless of the deadline."
What? That statement is nonsensical. The "cable broadcasters" don't use public spectrum, they use wires to distribute their signal (and the satellite TV industry has been digital for years).
The DTV transition does NOT require cable companies to do anything.
However MANY of the cable companies are using the confusion caused by the transition to digital to fake (some call it defraud) their customers into more expensive "digital cable" plans.
Twinrova, have you been confused by comcast or do you work for them?
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Re: This isn't surprising news at all.
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I myself have cable, and if worse came to worst, I have an LCD TV with a built in HD tuner, so I could care less. However, I'll bet most of those who got coupons, didn't realize there was an expiration date on them. On top of that, how the heck can the Government not have the tracking ability to not know if a coupon that expired over a month ago, has not been used. Apparently, if you have been issued a coupon, and didn't use it before the expiration, you're out of luck, because the Government will not issue you another.
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Maybe they want to ensure that they don't have millions of dollars in vouchers sitting around never being used. That might actually make sense.
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FCC=Failed Communication Commission....
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And that was a government screw-up!
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I'm iffy on this delay but the availability of converter boxes in my area has been almost zero until December 08 so I can see where some people have genuinely been unable to prepare properly. Me, I bought an indoor antenna because all this hype made me realize I didn't need cable at all to get local channels because my TV is already digital. : )
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How is it the government's fault that your friend didn't realize the coupons have a 90 day expiration on them? It's displayed prominently on the front of the cards. Yes, it was dumb of the government to have these expire within 90 days, but it was irresponsible of your friend not to pay attention to the rules. Now the government is going to moddle-coddle her and others like her, causing more confusion and delays to something which should have been completed years ago.
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Obamanation
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Re: Obamanation
The problem is that lots of areas are no longer served by the over the air signal when the switch really happens.
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Ready or not...
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The cost and confusion.
the government is poised to muck it up.
* Many municipalities have contracted to switch over to new frequencies on
Feb 18th and de-activate their existing emergency transmitters. Workers are
poised to re-equip police cars, ambulances, and the like. Technicians have
been hired and trained to accomplish the change-over on a specific date.
* Other companies are ready to market services using the freed-up bands.
They won't be able to do so for three months. The payments on their loans
for new equipment won't be delayed, but their anticipated revenue will be
zero.
Bottom line: There is a significant cost to hundreds of companies and
governmental agencies. Some emergency services may even go off the air as
the people to whom a city sold their (supposedly redundant) equipment demand
access to THEIR equipment.
Suppose I borrowed $10 million to buy the city of Chicago's police radios
and in turn sold them all to the government of Costa Rico. The contract with
Costa Rico specifies delivery by March 30th. I've contracted with technicans
to disassemble and pack the existing equipment by March 1st, deliver it to a
shipping company by March 3rd for transit on a ship that departs Chicago for
Costa Rico on March 5th. I've already paid the city of Chicago for the
equipment, paid salaries to the technicians, posted a deposit to the
shipping company, etc.
Now the government says: "Time out?"
I'm screwed.
Effective commerce cannot efficiently exist based on governmental whim.
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Re: The cost and confusion.
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Re: The cost and confusion.
Oh, your point is valid and up until then you were good. But man! Choose a better example next time.
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Re: The cost and confusion.
What is more important, public safety or TV? The reconfiguration has been a massive effort (see http://www.800ta.org/ ) and now broadcasters are going to be allowed to continue to clog the new public safety spectrum?
On the public side, the Transition Administrator has been browbeating everyone to get this done. This switch is completely and utterly ridiculous.
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Indecision
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congress, roll back digital tv.
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Don't wait
It will just confuse more people if they turn on their TV on the 18th and still see something. They may incorrectly interpret that as being DTV ready.
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It is about the Presidency
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Re: It is about the Presidency
Wait, what?
What's being taken away from who?
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Re: Re: It is about the Presidency
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This is about. . .
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Re: This is about. . .
For the record, I disagree vehemently with the delay, but I think it is happening because _all_ politicians are afraid of offending voters.
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I smell a rat
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More time to stop this travesty
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Re: More time to stop this travesty
a) wireless carriers can roll out the next generation of wireless services
b) fire, ambulance, and police at the municipal, state and federal levels can all actually communicate with each other using a national public safety wireless network
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anyone who doesn't know about this isn't watching broadcast tv
I say push on and when their tv's don't work and they call their manufacturer/store asking about their product make sure those people are informed so they can explain what happened in lamens terms.
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Delaying is stupid
1. With the Downturn in economy and even with a coupon, people won't easily spend to buy the converter unless absolutely necessary.
2. Quite a few people have cable boxes, or wired cable so there is no need for the converter box.
3. In some areas where maybe you could use converter box, you probably get a total of 3 digital channels right now or some digital stations are a "flea" power, meaning they have digital broadcast, but it only ranges like 15 miles.
4. What the gov't should do, but can't do, is make digital stations broadcast at a decent wattage so consumers will get a multitude of stations instead of like 3. But that's more a result of stations not wanting to upgrade digital broadcasts because the OTA broadcasts are probably a small percentage of people in comparison to cable.
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Otherwise, I have found that the digital signals I do pick up are superior in quality on the screen than is the case with many analog signals.
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4G LTE
Additionally, the $6 billion for broadband that is in the new stimulus is for "open" networks, the sort that Verizon is trying now where the "approved" devices are mostly broadband data cards. When every major provider in the US is offering LTE as the network then "open" won't mean anything anymore and the providers get to walk away with $6 billion that they wouldn't have, except of course Sprint who is sinking faster than a rock in water.
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Forget about 'em.....move on. They'll eventually catch up. If they don't, then we've started culling the herd.
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DTV
The technology isn't, but no one will realize that until the change has been forced.
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So if 30 million people in a foriegn country (Canada) know about the U.S. change how can Americans not know or be ready for it?
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I wondered about this...
Moving the switch to June was done for the sake of the networks and media companies, so that it's right in the middle of reruns.
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Re: I wondered about this...
Reruns start the week of your Thanksgiving, for two to three weeks, then again the last week of December to mid January, then again just after Sweeps, and again in April for another two weeks. Then summer until mid October.
I do not know when they have time to show first run TV shows :)
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The technology isn't, but no one will realize that until the change has been forced.
Please remove foot from mouth. The technology is ready.
It's been ready for a long, long, long, long (still going...) long, time. Idiot.
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7 million are not yet ready for Digital TV?
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Digital TV
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Hmmm
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No One Seems to have noticed
Really this bill does next to nothing to extend the cut-off date unless the broadcasters just want to continue in analog (which it's my understanding most of them do not).
The only good point of this bill is that households with expired cupons can re-apply for new ones (they could not before)
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So much for broadband for everyone...
So, why is my local paper claiming that pushing back DTV is a win for Obama? Wouldn't this would hurt his "broadband for everyone" idea.
(disclaimer, I may be totally incorrect on whitespace potential. If I am, I'm wrong. So, don't throw a fit.)
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Re: So much for broadband for everyone...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_space_(telecommunications)
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Re: Re: So much for broadband for everyone...
...actually, check the wikipedia article. I think it says that under White space devices. ::shrug::
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Public Safety ...please
Try FCC revenue, they got their money, so delay or no delay they're happy.
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Remember Seniors & Not all areas getting digital signal
All channels but PBS constant pixelate so unwatchable. Out $200 & a day's time. 80 yr old people don't care about high-def. They just want basic TV. They get all the major networks with analog. They will be forced to a cheap cable package or watch PBS only. They said they will stop watching TV in Feb before signing any cable contracts.
Our generation wants clearer pictures & surrond sound. Their generation is concerned with saving money for food, medical, & utilities. Please remember the older generation of Americans that will be left without TV programming. Doesn't sound like much, but when you are unable to drive & seperated from the news of the world, you become isolated & depressed.
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