Yes, one that was meant to apply to the social security program only, not to the general fund which does such constitutionally necessary functions, envisioned by the founders, like provide converter coupons.
Social Security taxes pay for Social Security, not tv converters.
What kind of specious “reasoning” is that? I should subsidize it, because you did in the past? Huh?
Well the government, on behalf of you, is taking some people’s access to the public spectrum. Don’t you feel you, as a voter, should compensate them for their loss?
The govenment is compensating them for their loss, to the tune of $40 for converters which tend to run about, well, $40. Broomstick, et al., feel that due to the fact that somewhere around 4-6% of the U.S. TV watching population - due to the inablility to pull their head out of their ass for the last two years - will temporarily lose TV reception in February, that that is a valid reason to delay the digital changeover for, well, one can only assume forever.
I am not really on the warpath about this but would just like to point out that the digital signal is apparently a lot more sensitive to buildings, etc., than analog signals. We live in an urban area and get 5 local channels sharp as a tack via analog transmission (plus a few more staticky channels). With the digital converter box, we got 2 sharp channels, 2 extremely choppy channels, and 1 channel that is totally dark. The $40 for the converter box does not adequately compensate us for either 1) losing 20-60% of our available channels, depending how you want to count it, or 2) having to shell out a monthly fee for cable to get the exact same service that we previously got for free over the air.
Also, I have asked in two separate fora now and have not heard a really convincing answer as to why this is necessary. Answers seem to be, “the government can make more money this way,” and “it’s the future. it just is. it’s the FUTURE. shut up and stop impeding progress, BECAUSE IT’S THE FUTURE.”
As mentioned above, by me and others, you likely need a new antenna.
So don’t get cable, get a new antenna. At least your converter box is free.
I can’t imagine what answer would convince you, or others. Both of those answers are, in my opinion, adequate.
I’ve asked, and have not seen a response, when - exactly - do those who feel that the digital changeover is mis-timed believe that it should happen, and how do they feel that complaints will differ then than now?
I also still have not gotten any response to my offer of a free converter to a Doper in need.
It was in response to rand’s apparent assertion that the vouchers where theft.
cite?
Even antenna aside there’s problems. Analog is more fault tolerant. You either get a blank screen, distorted unwatchable pixalation, or a perfect picture with digital. Analog you just get more and more snow. In my experience the human brain is alot better about cleaning up snow and watching a show through it then digital is about handling noise.
Abandoning utility of the past just for change’s sake is stupid.
When the technology has the same watchable signal coverage as analog.
I think we’re talking closer to 6 months to a year than “forever”. Even if we do nothing else, that’ll create enough time to fix the coupon backlog, and that wno’t cost the federal government any more than already authorized.
I disagree. This coupon program has been active for more than a year, and people have sat on their hands. If you delay the change to Feb 17, 2010, then people will relax, praise Obama, wait until January of next year, create another coupon backlog and demand another extension.
Push it back to Feb 17, 2025. On Feb 18, 2025 there will be a news story about a poor little old lady sitting in her living room without TV because “no one ever told” her that she needed a converter box. Plus she is disabled, can’t go to the store…
That is actually the most disturbing thing I’ve seen in this entire thread. That you can offer to give a converter box away, absolutely free, and folks would still rather not have it.
Think for a moment about what that says about the motivation of the general populace to take action and actually spend money (using a coupon) if the deadline was delayed 6 more months. Or a year. Or 100 years.
The coupon backlog is coming about because people who don’t need the coupons are getting them, and because the agency that prints the coupons needs to assume a 100% coupon redemption rate. The problem is people like elmood who used a coupon to get an extra converter “just in case”, and with people who think they’re going to need a converter when they don’t.
Bolding mine - is this really true, though? I assumed that one of the reasons the coupons expired so quickly was so that the issuing agency could release the unused funds and use them to issue additional coupons.
I do not agree, by the way, that “change for change’s sake” is a good enough reason to enact this program. If there were some pressing need for the bandwidth, I would feel differently, but apparently there is no such pressing need. (I will admit some surprise on this topic, because when the switchover was first announced, I assumed that it was because the airwaves were needed immediately for some other use. Not just, “Well, digital is newer so we’re going to switch to it because it’s new.”)
UHF TV was an insane waste of bandwidth. I never understood why the FCC made the band so large. To make things worse, the channel allocation rules wasted most of the band. Probably a concession to the dismal quality of UHF TV tuners for many years. The FCC has spent decades trying to put UHF on a par with VHF, with limited success.
There’s a general principle that RF spectrum users should take advantage of new technologies in order to use that resource in an efficient manner. This is illustrated by the technical and regulatory history of mobile telephones and other two-way radio systems, which have evolved a tremendous amount, while radio and television broadcasting have seen limited changes. Think of a modern cell phone as a Toyota Prius and an analog TV set as a gas guzzling, air polluting, land yacht from the 1950s. With spectrum being a limited resource, all users have an obligation to not waste it. That’s why spark-gap radios were killed off so long ago. Analog TV is today’s spark-gap radio. There’s still a great deal of wasted and poorly utilized spectrum.
Hm, OK. I can see this. Thanks for explaining.
As it happens, my coupon FINALLY came just yesterday so I am no longer in need of a converter box - we just came back from obtaining one. Thank you, Carol Stream, Rand Rover, and all the other Randroids for subsidizing my TV watching against your will 
And a more serious public thank you to everyone who offered to help me out. Why don’t one or several of you start a thread to assist potentially needy Dopers with converter box acquisition? I know I"m not the only poor person on this forum (just one of the noisier ones)
Congratulations. However, you’ve failed to provide a reason, let alone a compelling one, as to why we should be subsidizing your tv.
You know, a long time ago in this thread I said that if I had been in charge of the program I probably wouldn’t have had a coupon program at all. I haven’t given you a compelling reason because there isn’t one.
I also said that, whether or not I would have set up such a system I would be a fool not to take advantage of one that existed.
In other words, our “representatives” saw fit to make this program and I took advantage of it. neener, neener. Did you SERIOUSLY think I’d forgo the free coupons/converter box due to mighty ethical principals? Ha!
If you don’t like it call up your Clowngress critter and bitch to him/her.
(Yes, the fact it pisses off a selfish, self-righteous bitch such as yourself is just a bonus as far as I’m concerned)
Ok, as far as the TV conversion thing goes, I don’t care in the least. I don’t watch television often enough for it to matter. I do think that Obama should have much more important things on his agenda. However I kind of understand why he is pushing it. As the above quotes point out negative to the switch; the possibility of weak signals in rural areas, less affluent folks opting out of the purchase, and so on, I can see why Obama is pushing for the switch to take more time.
He doesn’t want to be cut off from these people. He wants them to see all his public addresses.
If the switch causes the loss of TV in many rural and or poor homes, for whatever reason, then those people will not hear him, or see him in action.
Plausible? Yes Probable? Maybe not, but that’s my two cents!
You’re the selfish bitch in this thread. Hey, if you can take advantage of your fellow citizens to get something for nothing, why the hell not, right? Typical loser thought pattern, there.