Quote:
Originally Posted by Orrymain
You know what the problem is, though? The media here has really done a fantastic job making people aware of the change over the last six months to a year, but prior to that, there was nothing. So if you weren't 'paying attention' as someone said, you really didn't know.
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The media has done a great job publicizing the coming transition since March of 2008, when it became illegal to sell analog televisions without posting a prominent warning that they were soon going to become obsolete. Prior to that, the information was available -- it has been known and discussed in the media since 1996 -- but very few people would actually care about something that wasn't going to happen for a few years, so such discussions would not register with many people.
A lot of folks actively resisted internalizing the information being provided to them, even since March 2008. To wit: The delay of the
digital transition from February 2009 to May 2009 was practically useless. If you look at the data about the number of homes that became prepared since February, it is a drop-in-the-bucket as compared to any similar period over the ten months prior to the February date. The fact of the matter is that a majority of the folks who were still unprepared as of the February date are not going to get themselves prepared until they actually lose service; delaying the transition did nothing to get those folks to prepare themselves. It just cost broadcasters a lot more money and cost those who did prepare themselves in a timely manner a lot of annoyance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Orrymain
You never saw ads in catalogs selling handheld devices talking about the potential of their product being useless in a year.
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Again, it was starting in
March 2008 when our society collectively decided that those warning were deemed to be necessary.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Orrymain
Some say progress is good. I'm not necessarily a believer in that.
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We'll have to agree to disagree about that. If we should ever again encounter a day like 9/11/01, after the improved communications for emergency services is in place, we'll be very grateful for the transition to digital. And there is no denying how much better television reception is for 98% of our people.
There is also no denying that 2% of the people are going to experience what they'll perceive as unfairness, but it isn't any more or less fair than anything else, i.e., where highways are routed, which areas are zoned industrial, where sound barriers are erected vs. not, where enterprise zones are established, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Orrymain
Even the coupons don't take into consideration low income families who don't have money to spend on a converter box, discount or not.
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To be fair, they
do take that into consideration. There is a balancing act involved in
all governance. The fact that we don't have socialized medicine "doesn't take into consideration low income families who don't have money to spend on" co-payments and non-covered but medically-necessary treatments. And health care is far more important than teevee.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Orrymain
It's really a mess.
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I don't see it as being a mess at all. It is what it is, and what it is supposed to be. It isn't supposed to be what every single person might want it to be. That doesn't make it a "mess".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Orrymain
In the end, I'm not convinced it's a fair deal for everyone.
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In a perfect world, we would all have the same opportunities in life, the same choices to choose from, the same advantages and challenges, I suppose.
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