Posted on 02/05/2009 1:18:09 PM PST by anonsquared
The House of Representatives Thursday voted to postpone the country's shift from analog to digital TV broadcasts until June 12.
TV stations are scheduled to shut off their analog, over-the-air signals on Feb. 17. Many Democrats contended that millions of consumers were still not prepared for the switch. Older TV sets that aren't equipped or modified to receive digital signals will go dark once the transition occurs.
The Senate twice okayed a delay, most recently on Jan. 29
Thursday's House vote was 264-158.
A majority of House members voted last week to push back the implementation of digital TV. But the House considered that measure under special rules that required a supermajority of lawmakers to approve that plan.
Thursday's bill required a simple, majority vote.
White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs has indicated President Obama will sign the bill. Gibbs said the delay was important to ensure no interruption for people with televisions.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Yes, the government gave Americans a year to get their collective arses in gear and be ready for the switch. Correct, it should not be delayed for the Neanderthals among us as it will cost taxpayers and broadcasters even more than we have shelled out thus far.
Now for the BIG PICTURE:
Wasn't the switch to digital sold as a way to free up the analog waves for use by first responders in the event of a terrorist attack or national emergency? Weren't we told that policemen couldn't talk to firemen and they needed the analog spectrum for safety reasons?
So what the NEW ADMINISTRATION and pals are saying with the delay is that it is more important TO THEM that the Neanderthals among us not miss a single episode of American Idol, than it is that the police and fire departments be able to communicate with each other and save American lives during a terrorist attack. Some priorities!
And these Govt. guys wanna run OUR HEALTHCARE ?
This was EASY and they’re postponing it ?
Lots of ebay sellers are breathing a sigh of relief right now.
Ten to one the very same people who aren’t ready now won’t be ready in four months, either.
Typical governmental mindset.
The sub-text here is they are gonna spend a bunch more money and deprive the economy of stimulus for political reasons.
Gee, what a surprise - first that the nascent obama regime discovered there was ALREADY a directive drawn up long before they ever arrived on the scene, and secondly that they postponed its adoption.
Note that the border states want the delay.
Well, if fact, my mother-in-law got a new digital box and we hooked it up and guess what? The all new improved digital signal isn’t strong enough. So her TV doesn’t work with digital so she’s still using the analog antenna.
So much for the march of technology.
I’ll bet the cable/satellite companies are behind it. Then you are forced to PAY in order to see 300 COMMERCIAL stations.
So, why is it that we paying for cable?
This is pure posturing. The local stations here are switching over anyway. This just makes teh process slightly more drawn out.
From what I understand, many stations are not broadcasting the digital in full power until the analog is turned off. Also, some antennas are better than others at receiving signals. Is her antenna an indoor or outdoor antenna?
The concern of the border states is that Mexico is not going digital, and so Mexican TV stations will have an unfair advantage over US stations by being able to retain their frequencies and do so in analog. A significant number of those Mexican stations are actually broadcasting US networks into the US from across the border.
The BIGGER picture:
One of Obama’s advisors, who was responsible for this issue during the transition, has close ties with a company that has a vested interest in delaying the digital rollout.
Many stations are currently broadcasting a digital signal on UHF at reduced power, but will be broadcasting digital on their old VHF frequency at full power once the switch is completed. That may be the difficulty she’s experiencing.
I didn't know Mexico had TV stations that worked ...
I fail to see the ‘unfair advantage’ as best as I can tell digital TV is so much better than analog tv. Even if in SD versions. You just may need a slightly bigger antenna. Our cable system switched to digital feeds, even for the SD channels and picture quality improved.
Our local OTA stations just this AM said unequivocally, they were switching on schedule to digital, come hell or high water, ready or not. They were really mad at the delay. Said they had no intention of paying for the electricity to run two antennas.
This is just typical for government, what are they going to do in June when people still 'aren't ready'.
XETV, channel 6 in Tijuana, is broadcasting an American network. If the US stations are forced to go digital, Channel 6 will have an advantage in two ways. First, it’ll be the only station off air viewers who don’t have digital tuners or converters can watch. Second, it’ll be able to get into fringe area where the signal from digital broadcasters doesn’t permit reception. Remember, analog allows you to see a noisy picture in fringe areas, digital doesn’t. Several other areas have similar issues. For those reasons, the FCC late last year announced that it was going to delay the change for those US border stations that wished to.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.