Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program (Get free money to convert...)

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) ^ | U.S. Government

[rlmorel]

I just heard about this today...apparently anyone will be able to request two certificates totaling $80 US. My first thought was..."What? Is this an appropriate use of tax dollars?"

Any thoughts on this? Is it appropriate since television is a form of communication with the citizenry? Or is this some kind of boondoggle? Should we all treat it as a tax refund and apply for it? It sounds like the money will simply be granted...

[rlmorel]

By the way, if I wasn’t clear, my first thought was “NO WAY!”

[The Iceman Cometh]

I want my coupon sent attached to a free government 42” LCD.

[rlmorel]

Exactly.

[HAL9000]

It sounds like the money will simply be granted...

The analog spectrum used by the old TV channels will be auctioned off, and the auction paid by the auction winners to the federal government are expected to greatly exceed the cost of the rebate program.

[HAL9000]

and the auction paid by the auction winners

should be -

- and the amounts paid by the auction winners -

[NathanR]

Yes it is a boondoggle. We are being thrown a sop, because they are greedily destroying a perfectly good analog system and replacing it with an unwanted digital system.

At least that is how I see it.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

^

[scrabblehack]

On the one hand, they are rendering your old set useless. So they avoid angry consumers saying, “Now I have to buy a brand new TV set?”

OTOH, if you just use Cable, you’re probably OK.

So they will be allowing TV broadcasting on only a narrow band — I want to say the freed up frequencies will be used for cell phones — anyone know?

[NathanR]

Don’t use cable. Wife doesn’t want cable. Cable would cost more than all the tuners I will have to buy. (And I think I will need 5 tuners in one room and maybe that many in the rest of the house)

[weegee]

I want my coupon sent attached to a free government 42” LCD.

Caption This Picture (Ungrateful N.O. Welfare Bum) (21 Dec. 2007 )

[weegee]

Some of the UHF frequencies are going to police and fire departments. The police are planning to use them for WIFI reporting of parking meter fines, among other things.

[weegee]

The digital world allows them to block your right to record the signal (as determined by the Supreme Court in the Sony Betamax decision). The DCMA prohibits circumventing codes that prohibit copying digital data.

[NathanR]

What about all the DVRs that everyone has? Also, the fancy new VCRs, with digital tuners, also have DVD recorders to record over the air. I think you are wrong on that one. (or more probably partly right, just not for over the air stuff.)

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Funny how some of the same kinds of bureaucrats want an analog ‘signal’ transmitted by other types of property, onto the bullets they shoot...but never properly punish those who ‘transmit’ in the commission of a crime....

[weegee]

My DVR could detect a macrovision signal and would display a warning and shut off the recording functionality so I could not transfer any old tape content to a disc regardless if I owned a factory tape and would not be sharing content. It didn’t even matter if it was a public domain work. “We” now have videotapes that are over 30 years old which is greater than the 28 years of initial copyright.

[ShadowAce]

[kevkrom]

I think the coupons are only good for the purchase of a converter, so they won;t do you much good if you don’t plan on buying the converters. (For example, I use DirecTV, so I don’t care about over-the-air signals anyway.)

Since analog will be useless by government mandate, it could easily be justified that this represents a “taking” in terms of making people’s private property unusable, so I have little problem with the government making compensation for the taking, especially since, as has been pointed out, the auctioning of the old frequencies will more than pay for the coupon program.

[gondramB]

>>Yes it is a boondoggle. We are being thrown a sop, because they are greedily destroying a perfectly good analog system and replacing it with an unwanted digital system.

At least that is how I see it.<<

Usage of the analog system is in sharp decline - I have not been to a house without either cable, satellite or video over IP in years.

[NathanR]

Maybe. But that is what I use.

Where I live there is already too much on TV. Why would I want more?