[BC] Subsidy For Digital TV?

[Mike McCarthy]

Unlike TV, radio doesn't have a sunset date for analog broadcasting.  What 
you don't know is Congress is getting all kinds of heat from various 
government agencies to turn over spectrum promised to them above 
700Mhz...which should have taken place at the end of next year.  Well, HDTV 
sets are not going out as fast projected, so the reality is something must 
give. And the subsidized converters are the least costly way to move that 
transition along.

Mind you, it isn't the FCC pushing this.  They're only doing Congress's 
bidding on this whole matter.  In terms of importance to the local 
governments pushing this, it's top level priority.  Especially in large 
metro's where there is an acute shortage of spectrum for both intra- as 
well as inter-agency communications.

Katrina was a poster child event for lack of inter-agency inter-operability.

Mind you, I'm not happy with this subsidy either.  But if I can get one, 
I'll certainly try. Might as well get something back from the taxes I pay.

MM

At 06:45 AM 10/21/2005 -0400, Tom Dimeo wrote
>I can't believe I heard this right!  On the news this morning
>there was a report that there is a proposal to subsidize the
>purchase of a digital converter for people who have older
>television sets.  I wasn't listening closely but that
>certainly got my attention.  I think the report said there
>are twenty-one million people with older television sets who
>won't be able to receive the new digital television format.
>
>Oh boy, now maybe I can get a nice brand-new shiny IBOC radio?
>
>Tom
>
>
>
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