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Acerone
I hate ants and ugly people.
Member since 3/07 6437 total posts
Name:
Chris
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Do you need a DTV converter?
Or anyone you know needed one? Here's the latest news about the change over date...
Washington, D.C. (February 4, 2009) -- The U.S. House today approved a Senate bill that delays the nation's switch to Digital TV from Feb. 17 to June 12.
The bill, which was approved by a vote of 264 to 158, now goes to President Obama for his expected signature.
The Obama administration had urged Congress to delay the transition from analog to digital, saying that millions of people are not ready for the switch and therefore could lose their TV signals.
Until today's vote, all full-powered local stations were scheduled to switch their analog signals to digital on February 17, meaning viewers would need a Digital TV, a digital converter box or a pay TV subscription to continuing watching television.
But the president and others have noted that the federal government has run out of funds for $40 coupons that consumers can use to defray the cost of the converters. Obama's proposed economic stimulus legislation includes $650 million to refund the converter coupon program.
The Senate passed the delay bill last week on a voice vote. To generate support for the delay, the bill allows local stations to switch to digital before June if they get approval from the FCC.
Nielsen has estimated that as many as seven million people are not ready for the transition at this point.
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Posted 2/4/09 4:54 PM  |
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Blazesyth
*yawn*
Member since 5/05 8129 total posts
Name:
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Re: Do you need a DTV converter?
I don't understand why are they allowing 2 coupons per household. Sure, they're saying that people need TV in case of emergency, etc. Fine.
So that means one coupon per household. But 2? If they gave everyone just 1, they probably wouldn't need the additional $$$..
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| Posted 2/4/09 4:58 PM |
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BabyBoy
is Skylar Elizabeth
Member since 5/05 4189 total posts
Name:
Tom
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Re: Do you need a DTV converter?
Posted by Blazesyth
I don't understand why are they allowing 2 coupons per household. Sure, they're saying that people need TV in case of emergency, etc. Fine.
So that means one coupon per household. But 2? If they gave everyone just 1, they probably wouldn't need the additional $$$..
what if you have more then 1 tv in your house?
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| Posted 2/4/09 6:26 PM |
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Kara
Now Zagat Rated!
Member since 3/07 13217 total posts
Name:
They call me "Tater Salad"
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Re: Do you need a DTV converter?
Posted by BabyBoy
Posted by Blazesyth
I don't understand why are they allowing 2 coupons per household. Sure, they're saying that people need TV in case of emergency, etc. Fine.
So that means one coupon per household. But 2? If they gave everyone just 1, they probably wouldn't need the additional $$$..
what if you have more then 1 tv in your house?
Why should the government have to subsidize your choice to have more than 1 TV? The point of the coupons was to defray the cost of the box so people (presumably the majority of which are poor and/or elderly) could still have their TV in case of an emergency. That was the point - why should the government help you pay for TWO converters. If the point is so you still have your TV in case of emergency, then 1 per household is sufficient.
Message edited 2/4/2009 6:34:33 PM.
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| Posted 2/4/09 6:34 PM |
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BabyBoy
is Skylar Elizabeth
Member since 5/05 4189 total posts
Name:
Tom
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Re: Do you need a DTV converter?
You need to remember the gov't is the one that is forcing the issue of going digital and there are many benefits to it.
If you want to consider this part of the bill to switch, then so be it.
the avg number of tv's in a home is a little over 2 so thats where that number came from.
not sure the percentage but i'm sure a good portion of these people don't have money to pay for these boxes as one reason why they wouldn't have a cable or satellite service. Then you have a good chunk of people that barely watch tv and don't need an outside service.
gov't must have a way to communicate information in the event of an emergency. Without a box, these people are left in the dark. Yes, it stinks that it comes from tax payers funds but so does everything else.
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| Posted 2/4/09 6:43 PM |
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Kara
Now Zagat Rated!
Member since 3/07 13217 total posts
Name:
They call me "Tater Salad"
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Re: Do you need a DTV converter?
Posted by BabyBoy
You need to remember the gov't is the one that is forcing the issue of going digital and there are many benefits to it.
If you want to consider this part of the bill to switch, then so be it.
the avg number of tv's in a home is a little over 2 so thats where that number came from.
not sure the percentage but i'm sure a good portion of these people don't have money to pay for these boxes as one reason why they wouldn't have a cable or satellite service. Then you have a good chunk of people that barely watch tv and don't need an outside service.
gov't must have a way to communicate information in the event of an emergency. Without a box, these people are left in the dark. Yes, it stinks that it comes from tax payers funds but so does everything else.
Yes, of course. That is the reason for the coupons in the first place. HOWEVER, this does not, IMO, support the need for 2 coupons per household. As I said, if the purpose is so that these people need TV to get information in the result of an emergency, 1 box is sufficient for that purpose. The government isn't even obligated to provide that (not everyone has a TV), so I hardly see why the governmnent should be providing 2 per household. I support the coupon for 1 TV per household. I don't see the need for the government, particularly right now, should be subsidizing the purchase of more than 1 box per household.
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| Posted 2/4/09 7:00 PM |
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Re: Do you need a DTV converter?
A 4 month delay isn't going to fix everything.... people had over 2 years to get a coupon, but waited until the last minute. This will happen again in 4 months from now... 
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| Posted 2/5/09 8:02 AM |
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Kara
Now Zagat Rated!
Member since 3/07 13217 total posts
Name:
They call me "Tater Salad"
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Re: Do you need a DTV converter?
Posted by GoldenRod
A 4 month delay isn't going to fix everything.... people had over 2 years to get a coupon, but waited until the last minute. This will happen again in 4 months from now...
On top of that, this entire process has been in the planning stages since I was in college... so it's just been poorly planned for years. People had 2 years to get the coupon and the government had many more years to plan this better...
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| Posted 2/5/09 8:09 AM |
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Re: Do you need a DTV converter?
Posted by Kara
Posted by BabyBoy
You need to remember the gov't is the one that is forcing the issue of going digital and there are many benefits to it.
If you want to consider this part of the bill to switch, then so be it.
the avg number of tv's in a home is a little over 2 so thats where that number came from.
not sure the percentage but i'm sure a good portion of these people don't have money to pay for these boxes as one reason why they wouldn't have a cable or satellite service. Then you have a good chunk of people that barely watch tv and don't need an outside service.
gov't must have a way to communicate information in the event of an emergency. Without a box, these people are left in the dark. Yes, it stinks that it comes from tax payers funds but so does everything else.
Yes, of course. That is the reason for the coupons in the first place. HOWEVER, this does not, IMO, support the need for 2 coupons per household. As I said, if the purpose is so that these people need TV to get information in the result of an emergency, 1 box is sufficient for that purpose. The government isn't even obligated to provide that (not everyone has a TV), so I hardly see why the governmnent should be providing 2 per household. I support the coupon for 1 TV per household. I don't see the need for the government, particularly right now, should be subsidizing the purchase of more than 1 box per household.
I understand what you're saying about 1 coupon being fine and no need for 2 coupons per household; however, I think that with the recent natural disasters (ie: Katrina) and with the current state of our country in general, I support anything that our government puts in place in order to help out our people in case we find ourselves in a state of emergency.
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| Posted 2/5/09 10:00 AM |
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