Wed, 28 Jan 2009

House Defeats Delay on Digital TV

Two things really gt me about this. First, the day of the digital transition will be the last day we have access to broadcast TV for quite a while. I've not even bothered getting a converter box: we're so far out, we can barely get an analog signal, much less a weaker, digital one.

But that's really secondary: Hel, we don't watch enough TV to bother. What really gets me is the rank hypocrisy of Republicans, standing for a "free market", and then foisting the most intrusive technical change on the broadcast industry ever. Why? So they could sell excess spectrum that will be freed by the transition. Which, of course, acknowledges that the government "owns" the airwaves.

Except when it doesn't: just mention the Fairness Doctrine and watch Republican hackles rise. Why, how could you advocate dictating programming to our broadcasters? What are you, a Commie-symp? You wouldn't try this with newspapers, would you?

No, but then the government doesn't even pretend to own the newspapers - and it apparently does own the airwaves, by the Republicans own admission via this forced transition. And the last time I checked, owners of media get to dictate content.

Or as my mother used to remind me: what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Two days after the Senate unanimously approved a four-month delay of the digital television transition, the House of Representatives rejected the same proposal on Wednesday, leaving the current Feb. 17 deadline intact for now.

(link) [New York Times]

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