Senate approves delaying digital switch

[pjpjpjpj]

http://www.tvweek.com/news/2009/01/s...ay_digital.php

Your tax dollars at work (if by "at work," you mean "being thrown down the toilet by politicians").

[CarlR]

"The new version allows TV stations to switch from an analog to a digital signal early without penalty"

This will seem to create more confusion, not less, as now every TV station in the country could be changing over on a different date.


"The legislation also gives the Federal Communications Commission some additional authority to auction off new spectrum to help pay for the delay."

I think this may be the real motivation for this bill.


"... And doing it right means that no one across this land wakes up on Feb. 18 to find that their television set has gone dark"

Except of course those people who watch the TV stations that decide to switch over early without penalty.


"Republicans had opposed the delay, instead urging the coupon problems simply be fixed."

I can't believe I'm actually agreeing with the Republicans on this one.

[PAF]

I think the additional auction for more spectrum is actually used to pay the companies that already bought the spectrum last year in anticipation and now don't know whey they will actually get what they paid for...

[mikehaney]

This transition has been in the works for what - 8 years now - and they start changing everything at the last minute. What a bunch of Einsteins. I can't wait until they start running our healthcare.

[stevech]

EPA delays OxTax

The Environmental Protection Agency today announced a delay in the new oxygen-use tax. The EPA took a cue from the FCC's Digital TV migration problems: Not everyone was ready to go to on-body metered breathing to enable the OxTax. The delay by EPA is expected to be no more than a year.

In a related move, the Federal Highway Agency announced that the new Road Tax program will be slightly delayed. The Federal Agency Road Tax uses subsidized-cost GPS tracking devices to enable drivers to minimize new time-of-day usage fees. This tax concept began in London, for autos passing inside the orbital in daylight hours.

[toricred]

I love one of the acronyms in that one.

This is making me really glad I didn't vote for Obama or anybody now serving in the senate.

[mistergq]

this is classic government. The people affected by this will be less than 5% of the population (and I am being generous). There are alternatives. Most likely, the population that will be affected by this is in the inner cities. Why not set a boot up in the inner city where you can get coupons for the device? Or since there are Social Security Office all over the country, set up a table there for people to get coupons.That is just too logical though and not what government wants.

[stevech]

Hey, get used to Robin Hood in Washington!

[webwalker]

NO, NO, NO!!!

I don't mean the change over or delay. I mean 'this link doesn't say what you THINK IT SAYS!!!!"

A bipartisan agreement to delay the country’s digital TV changeover from Feb. 17 to June 12 was announced Thursday night by Senate Commerce Committee Chairmam

There is bipartisan agreement to delay. There is no vote. There is no legislation. There is nothing on the books. There is only an agreement that both sides see that Feb 17 is going to be a trainwreck.

I think a lot of the doofus ideas like allowing some stations to jump sooner than a June 12 date are dumb and will probably get hammered out before a vote. But the VOTE hasn't happened, and isn't expected for at least a week; perhaps Friday at the absolute earliest.

Please don't wind people up unnecessarily. If you think they should wait, or forge ahead or find some other 'third way' (isn't that what the new administration likes?) then call your Senator. Oi.

[Ryokurin]

Yep. Way too many things to be worried about at the moment than pushing out the digital switch in what will probably be less than two weeks before it happens. As it says the law won't punish people from switching on the original date anyways, and the vast majority is getting tired of having to pay the energy bill to run two systems. If it did happen, I bet 95% of the stations would switch anyways.

[MeInMaui]

We already made the transition on January 15th and the sky didn't fall...

[Peter_h]

Originally Posted by MeInMaui

We already made the transition on January 15th and the sky didn't fall...

Exactly. Everything is fine here.

[QueOnda]

Originally Posted by MeInMaui

We already made the transition on January 15th and the sky didn't fall...

It fell cats and dogs here, but sure wasn't because of the transition.

[Brent]

Originally Posted by MeInMaui

We already made the transition on January 15th and the sky didn't fall...

Originally Posted by Peter_h

Exactly. Everything is fine here.

Yeah but that's because of the really nice weather

I don't think this will be such a big deal - there will be a definite effect on rural america imo, but beyond that it should work out just fine once the politicians get out of the way.

[mistergq]

Originally Posted by webwalker

NO, NO, NO!!!

I don't mean the change over or delay. I mean 'this link doesn't say what you THINK IT SAYS!!!!"



There is bipartisan agreement to delay. There is no vote. There is no legislation. There is nothing on the books. There is only an agreement that both sides see that Feb 17 is going to be a trainwreck.

I think a lot of the doofus ideas like allowing some stations to jump sooner than a June 12 date are dumb and will probably get hammered out before a vote. But the VOTE hasn't happened, and isn't expected for at least a week; perhaps Friday at the absolute earliest.

Please don't wind people up unnecessarily. If you think they should wait, or forge ahead or find some other 'third way' (isn't that what the new administration likes?) then call your Senator. Oi.

now its official. Senate votes for 4 month delay.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/technolo...,6468504.story

[HawgGuy]

Originally Posted by Brent

I don't think this will be such a big deal - there will be a definite effect on rural america imo, but beyond that it should work out just fine once the politicians get out of the way.

I don't think rural America is affected very much. Those of us in the boonies have never been able to get OTA well and have been on cable or satellite for decades.

[webwalker]

Sigh. It is NOT official yet.

Merely that the Senate has voted for it.

The issue now goes to the House, where Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., has vowed to work with House leaders to bring Rockefeller's bill up for a floor vote on Tuesday.

While I think it likely that it will pass, it is not 'official'. And that doesn't even say what happens if the House passes a version different than the Senate and it has to go back in to committee to hammer out compromise.

You know how things work in government: politicians pee in it until they like the taste better. Everyone needs to feel like their interests are represented (or at least, their position acknowledged.)

I am actually disappointed that this came FROM the Senate TO the House. The Senate is supposed to be taking in to consideration more attributes of the 'greater good' and doing the switch over piecemeal is not in anyone's greater good; not the networks, not the affiliates, not the spectrum buyers, not the consumers and not the government. Ugh.

[DOS64K]

[QUOTE=webwalker;333417]Sigh. It is NOT official yet.

Merely that the Senate has voted for it.
QUOTE]

I wish more Americans knew how their government actually worked

[webwalker]

I'm worried that I don't sometimes. When in doubt, I go back to basics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ

[DOS64K]

Originally Posted by webwalker

I'm worried that I don't sometimes. When in doubt, I go back to basics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ

A true blast-from-the-past! Now I'll have that blasted song stuck in my head.... yes I'm only a bill....