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Senate Agrees to DTV Delay

Article Comments  54  

Jan 23, 2009, 3:53 PM   by Eric M. Zeman

The U.S. Senate has provisionally approved of a proposal to delay the transition to DTV by four months. The Senate has yet to officially vote on the matter, which is also being debated by the House of Representatives. The proposal in question will push the transition back to June 12. The Senate is also seeking money for converter box coupons that some consumers may need for the transition. Approximately $650 million has been set aside by the House for those coupons. Under the proposal, some television stations have the choice to halt analog broadcasts if they so choose. Verizon Communications has spoken in favor of a delay, while Qualcomm, which hopes to expand its MediaFLO mobile TV network, has voiced opposition.

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Americanstud1987

Jan 23, 2009, 4:01 PM

They should have

Kept with the same date, and let those who did not switch suffer without TV! It may do some people some good to get off their asses. 😳
We still have three weeks before the transition that is plenty of time for people to get their converters. How much time do people really need? Whats to say come June the same people wont ask for another delay.
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I totally agree. They've had how long now to switch or get the converter box's? Months, right? This is why our society is so messed up right now. We have to take care of and hold the hands of people who are too lazy or too broke to get with the progra...
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you shall not say same thing if you're 60 or older
ppls on such age are difficult to accept new electronics, some even stick with TV for over 20 years old (rounded edge screen)
the receiver with coupon is very cheap (even down to $15), but some may ...
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This is what our Government is doing for us?! This is the kind of garbage they are supporting? With Pelosi's $200,000,000 for contraceptives and this delay...why should we not absolutely trust the Government. After all they know more than all of us...
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netboy

Jan 24, 2009, 6:38 PM

it' only freaking TV!!

u wont die if u cant get your tv signal!
people are living fine in the past without TV!
y stop the world from moving forward??
This is not so much about people "not" having TV anymore. This is more about advertisers not having their commercials seen by the 8M (or whatever the number is) of people who depend on their rabbit ears to get signals.
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netboy

Jan 24, 2009, 6:45 PM

you dont need that junk/garbage converter!

most newer TV and DVR have digital turner build-in! u dont need that junk/garbage! save the environment please!
netboy said:
most newer TV and DVR have digital turner build-in! u dont need that junk/garbage! save the environment please!


I have a TV from 2004 that doesn't have the ATSC tuner built in. I tried holding off, b...
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jskrenes

Jan 26, 2009, 10:48 AM

How much good will this REALLY do?

Let's crunch some numbers people. There are somewhere between 3 and 3.4 million households that somehow missed the boat and will be without TV service when the switch happens. Considering that there are between 90-100 million households in America. That means the number of households affected by the switch will be somewhere in the 5% or less category. It's hard to be dissatisfied with that number.

Now, let's assume we have a delay. How many people will realistically go out in the next few months to upgrade? If you put it in perspective of the 100 million households in the US, the number of people that will be positively affected by a delay becomes statistically insignificant.

Plus, most of the broadcasters out there have been dual-band...
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Nfuego

Jan 23, 2009, 5:04 PM

Poor Old Billy Bob

This means 4 more months of constant articles reminding people the change is going to happen...constant scrolling along local channels and that much longer for people to "not worry" about it.

If my 86 year old Grandparents can buy the box, hook up the box to their TV in the kitchen and Program the box - most people should have NO problem doing this if they just try.

Just another thing for people to beg the government for help with. Maybe Obama can send a DTV Tech out to all the poor people's house and give them a free hookup and programming session.
Actually I was thinking your grandparents would be perfect spokespeople for DTV as an example of how EASY it is.
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Nfuego said:Just another thing for people to beg the government for help with. Maybe Obama can send a DTV Tech out to all the poor people's house and give them a free hookup and programming session.


Money is ...
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I am thinking for another issue.....
this transition (NTSC to ATSC) can make a lot of electronic waste, esp CRT, which contains lead, no good for environment
another purpose of this receiver is: to extend these NTSC only TV life till it completely s...
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lray801

Jan 23, 2009, 5:02 PM

Typical

This is a very typical move on our government's part. Make comittment. Break it. Set new one. Repeat cycle as needed.
But this wasn't "our government" that did this. It was "Bush's government," which as we all know was stolen from the people. So of course, Obama has no obligation to honor anything that was said or done in the last eight years (sarcasm).

In all ser...
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Globhead

Jan 24, 2009, 6:22 PM

Socialist ###holes

Why the heck do I have to pay to give free TV equipment to idiots?

As if that isn't already bad enough, now technological progress is being delayed to that end?

Bush put religion before technology, Obama puts socialism before technology.
Versed

Jan 24, 2009, 10:14 AM

Well, You Can't Blame them.

I posted many times I am against this delay, but, to be honest if I was in the Senate or House I would vote for it. And thus, the Republicans who tried to filibuster this gave in.

I could just see the next election. They will have nasty political ads of this Senator or Congressman unplugging some old ladies tv and telling her she has to move on with the times. BTW, both parties would do this. So I'm sure the RNC called these Senators and told them are you friggin out of your minds, let the vote go forward.

Well this is sad and true about ourselves and our politicians, for we are as guilty as they are.
I'm not sure if that was the reasoning behind the votes, but it's sad but true: many politicians will do anything to bolster their career. Many care more about their careers in politics than their constituents.
algorithmplus

Jan 24, 2009, 3:01 PM

If It's not broken, don't fix it.

I think many people don't understand the technical aspect of television broadcasts. To those people, who may tend to be uneducated or in the older segments of the population, they know television currently works great. They don't know why we are taking a standardized system that has been in place for many years and seems to work flawlessly.

Those people don't think about the technical aspect that analog TV is somewhat dated, but more importantly, very inefficient. You had the same kind of behavior with farmers, other rural residents, and elderly with the switch to digital from AMPS. They simply couldn't understand why they had to give up their analog phone that worked great for a digital phone with lower quality voice and worse recept...
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taoareyou

Jan 24, 2009, 11:24 AM

Unrealistic

If you think the six million or so people who have not gotten their couponed free converters (even after a massive amount of print, radio and television ads over the entire last year) will suddenly go out and get them in the next three months...you are kidding yourself.

There will be people who refuse to change even for free. Those people will complain and there is nothing you can do about it.

Remember the saying, "You can't please everyone." Ample time has been given. Those who cannot afford it will be given converters. Postponing will not solve the problem, it will only prolong the inevitable need to face the facts that some people are simply going to be without television.

Also accept they are without television because of th...
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ceric20

Jan 23, 2009, 8:42 PM

Great Job

Great now we get to watch that wonderful little ticker for another 4 more months on every TV show!
 
 
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