No Way! Congress Delays the Digital Conversion Deadline

February 5, 2009

I swear I wasn't lying when I told you last week that the bill for the delay of the digital television transition didn't pass in the House of Representatives. But yesterday, in a re-vote (264-158), the House of Representatives approved the bill to push the transition from the original Feb. 17 date until Jun. 12.

What happens now? The bill will get sent on to President Obama for his final approval. And television owners, who aren't ready for the analog TV shutdown, now have four additional months to get a converter box.

Let's hope this is the last we hear about this topic for a while!

Source

TV News

14 Comments

spacekatgal 4 years

OMGWTF? Come on old people. Can't you go down to the Wal-mart Death star and buy a fraking 20 dollar box? When you're buying your size 26 pants or whatever? Seriously.

jennjennnbubba 4 years

please no!! I can't take the commercials anymore

glynislily 4 years

This is just useless! I mean if people are ready now they are not going to be ready this summer. This is what the government is going to do when there are far more important things to worry about? Seriously. I guess with circuit city going out of business maybe more people will be ready.

carak 4 years

actually they've been talking about Feb 17 2009 being the end of analog tv for a few years now, so these people that still haven't done something about it, or even planned for it by saving money or budgeting for the $30 basic service from their cable provider... they don't deserve to have TV. i agree with the previous posters who said that tv is a luxury not a right. there are other places people can get their news, sports, and tv shows. if i didn't watch live sports & have to watch LOST right when it airs, i'd get rid of cable altogether & only stream shows off the internet.

Elfyn 4 years

I agree totally with macgirl with TV being a luxury not a right! How about the cost to the TV stations/networks that now have to broadcast in both analog and digital? What about the folks that are waiting for the analog frequencies that have already been sold? What about all the folks that did their due diligence and got a converter box so they'd be ready? This upsets me so much! It's like we're rewarding people for being procrastinators! Obama just lost a few points in my book.

Merlin713 4 years

A few weeks before June 12 we'll hear about another extension.... :oy:

ChicBookFiend 4 years

I am sick and tired of those damn commercials. I can't believe we're going to have to put up with them for four more months! Why is it so hard for people to get a converter box? They're not that expensive and you get, like, a $40 rebate, some low-income people even get a voucher for it. So what's going on?

floppyfish1986 4 years

This is insane, people have long enough to convert. If they haven't done it yet its their own fault. You don't need tv and the government shouldn't be paying you to convert.

Kimpossible 4 years

LOL this whole thing just makes me laugh. and once again I agree with macgirl.

Cucucita 4 years

obama did this just to prove his power

amers230 4 years

oh god, that means we're gonna have to deal with the stupid commercials for an extra four months! and i agree with everyone else, people have had a year to rectify the situation. if they haven't done it yet, i highly doubt they are going to do it period.

refinedharmony 4 years

Why is it so difficult to go buy a converter box? They are everywhere? People have already had a year, do they really think an extra 4 months will help those procrastinators?

macgirl 4 years

TV is not a right, it's a luxury. If you can't afford a digital convertor box I don't think the government should be stepping in to subsidize the cost of the convertor. Technology changes, everything changes, just deal with it. This whole conversion thing is annoying and they just need to get on with it.

starangel82 4 years

Even if they delay the transition, they are still out of money for converter box assistance. Is the government just going to miraculously pull money out of thin air? Well, actually, they just might.

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