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http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6627445.html
Talk begins of pushing the transition back to June...
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Talk begins of pushing the transition back to June...
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DTV Transition Date Delay - It's final. Again. June 12, 2009.
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I'll believe it when it actually comes up for a vote. However, I still think there are too many large companies that have spent too much perfectly good money on buying the freed spectrum - there's no way they'll allow that. If Congress seriously does more than talk about it, they're going to be *pissed*.
The coupon mess does not prevent people from buying the converter boxes. There are a pretty good stock of converter boxes at the local electronic stores from what I have seen. So this is more about political CYA because of the confusion and growing public anxiety over the impending transition and saving people $40 on a converter box. Some of whom will be hard pressed to spend $20 on a $60 box even with a coupon.
Of course, the focus in Congress will be on mollifying the general public. How a delay would affect the broadcast stations and the consumers who have made the move to digital tuners is likely to given short thrift if the move to delaying the transition date gets strong enough. A delay will hurt several hundred stations waiting to go full power with a digital signal or get on the air at all with a digital signal. There are also, maybe several hundred?, stations who have transmitter work and in some cases tower crews lined up to do major antenna work in the week after Feb. 17. What happens to those stations and digital OTA viewers if there is a last minute 4 month delay?
It would be interesting if someone in the press were to ask congressman Markey or the CU if they know how many stations have already shut off their analog broadcast? And how many will be shut off by end of January? And what happens to the stations who can't fire up a proper digital signal until another analog station goes dark? Oy, what a mess...
The coupon mess does not prevent people from buying the converter boxes. There are a pretty good stock of converter boxes at the local electronic stores from what I have seen. So this is more about political CYA because of the confusion and growing public anxiety over the impending transition and saving people $40 on a converter box. Some of whom will be hard pressed to spend $20 on a $60 box even with a coupon.
Of course, the focus in Congress will be on mollifying the general public. How a delay would affect the broadcast stations and the consumers who have made the move to digital tuners is likely to given short thrift if the move to delaying the transition date gets strong enough. A delay will hurt several hundred stations waiting to go full power with a digital signal or get on the air at all with a digital signal. There are also, maybe several hundred?, stations who have transmitter work and in some cases tower crews lined up to do major antenna work in the week after Feb. 17. What happens to those stations and digital OTA viewers if there is a last minute 4 month delay?
It would be interesting if someone in the press were to ask congressman Markey or the CU if they know how many stations have already shut off their analog broadcast? And how many will be shut off by end of January? And what happens to the stations who can't fire up a proper digital signal until another analog station goes dark? Oy, what a mess...
As was pointed out in another political thread, it's just being used as a political posturing device. The odds are basically nil that they'll actually delay it now, but it gives these guys a way when their constituents start howling to say "hey, look, *I* tried, see what I did for you?"
As was pointed out in another political thread, it's just being used as a political posturing device. The odds are basically nil that they'll actually delay it now, but it gives these guys a way when their constituents start howling to say "hey, look, *I* tried, see what I did for you?"
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Won't happen. Obama doesnt even expect a Stimulus Package through Congress until President's Day which 2/16/2009. Too many leases and technical changes are already in place with the current cutoff date in mind.
‘Here we go’ is right. We need to get this DTV transition over with. I think if they do extend this, some people will be happy, some will be annoyed. Some will be happy because they get extra time to prepare, while some will get annoyed because they rushed and prepared for this.
Fund more coupons ? Certainly - while we're throwing billions around for big business for screwing up, what's another $1 billion for consumer coupons ?
But extend the deadline - no way. If I was a station owner - I'd say - "You want me to extend analog ? - Fine - fund me for it, but otherwise my plans are for ____ (Feb 17 for most, some earlier)".
But extend the deadline - no way. If I was a station owner - I'd say - "You want me to extend analog ? - Fine - fund me for it, but otherwise my plans are for ____ (Feb 17 for most, some earlier)".
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Given that they got $20 billion for the spectrum, the coupon program is paid for. If they're smart, they'll throw the extra money into it.
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No, but there is likely to be less snow on the ground and the roof-tops for mad rushes to the electronics stores and antenna work when people discover their equipment isn't ready.
This should have been figured out right after Wilmington at the latest, but that test probably wasn't early enough to learn from it.
The Coupon thread had predicted that the money would run out early for some time now. The NTIA doesn't seem to be watching their own results. Saying that the waiting list is ok as expired coupons will flow back in eventually is not going to get it done. New requests are outpacing expired coupons by about 5:1 right now, with perhaps 50% of OTA homes converted so far (probably an optimistic number).
No, but there is likely to be less snow on the ground and the roof-tops for mad rushes to the electronics stores and antenna work when people discover their equipment isn't ready.
This should have been figured out right after Wilmington at the latest, but that test probably wasn't early enough to learn from it.
The Coupon thread had predicted that the money would run out early for some time now. The NTIA doesn't seem to be watching their own results. Saying that the waiting list is ok as expired coupons will flow back in eventually is not going to get it done. New requests are outpacing expired coupons by about 5:1 right now, with perhaps 50% of OTA homes converted so far (probably an optimistic number).
No, that is not the reason. This is a pander & CYA reaction to a lot of public, well, fear and backlash about the transition. This transition is not unlike a parachute jump. Congress & the still on analog OTA public is standing at the open door in the aircraft, staring out into the open (digital) sky and freezing up. Someone just needs to yell "don't forget to pull the ripcord' and kick them out the door.
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No, that is not the reason. This is a pander & CYA reaction to a lot of public, well, fear and backlash about the transition. This transition is not unlike a parachute jump. Congress & the still on analog OTA public is standing at the open door in the aircraft, staring out into the open (digital) sky and freezing up. Someone just needs to yell "don't forget to pull the ripcord' and kick them out the door.
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And given that it's digital, the "freezing up" may be more literal than you implied.
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