TV in Peril. Is Nothing Sacred?
By GAIL COLLINS
NYT
On Feb. 17, the nation’s TV broadcasters are scheduled to go all-digital, and Americans with unconverted analog televisions will get their reception cut off. Perhaps you are one of them. Perhaps you are in such a pathetic state of denial that you are not actually sure if you’re an analog person or not. Perhaps you think an analog is a rare burrowing creature found mainly in Australia.
All I can say is, shape up people. We are post-inauguration now. It’s all about the issues. You can’t palm yourself off as an informed citizen just because you know how many electoral votes Montana has.
In 2005, Congress voted to end analog broadcasting. The impetus was to raise money for the Bush tax cuts by selling off the emptied space. (Bad) But it also freed up lots of room for better Internet reception and public safety communication. (Good)
Other countries are doing the same thing. The Netherlands and Finland have already gone all-digital. In fact, the most unnerving thing about our Feb. 17 deadline is that the United States would be clocking in third. What are the odds that the Bush administration could pull off a complicated public initiative more efficiently than anybody but the Dutch and the Finns?
(More here.)
NYT
On Feb. 17, the nation’s TV broadcasters are scheduled to go all-digital, and Americans with unconverted analog televisions will get their reception cut off. Perhaps you are one of them. Perhaps you are in such a pathetic state of denial that you are not actually sure if you’re an analog person or not. Perhaps you think an analog is a rare burrowing creature found mainly in Australia.
All I can say is, shape up people. We are post-inauguration now. It’s all about the issues. You can’t palm yourself off as an informed citizen just because you know how many electoral votes Montana has.
In 2005, Congress voted to end analog broadcasting. The impetus was to raise money for the Bush tax cuts by selling off the emptied space. (Bad) But it also freed up lots of room for better Internet reception and public safety communication. (Good)
Other countries are doing the same thing. The Netherlands and Finland have already gone all-digital. In fact, the most unnerving thing about our Feb. 17 deadline is that the United States would be clocking in third. What are the odds that the Bush administration could pull off a complicated public initiative more efficiently than anybody but the Dutch and the Finns?
(More here.)
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