Southern border TV stations want exempt from DTV transition

(Credit: DTV2009.gov)

While most American TV watchers and broadcasters are preparing for (fretting over) the long-planned DTV transition in February 2009, broadcasters along the U.S. southern border are requesting an exemption from shutting down their analog broadcasts--up to five years after the deadline. The House of Representatives, according to an article by HD Guru, has already passed the DTV Border Fix Act bill by unanimous consent.

"If passed by the House or Representatives after the summer recess under H.R. 5435, and signed by President Bush, any TV station within 50 miles of the U.S. border may continue analog broadcasting."

We've covered the upcoming DTV transition extensively and have a quick guide explaining its intricacies, but the situation along the Mexico border presents a unique scenario. Many non-English speaking Hispanics in cities such as El Paso, Texas, are able to receive both U.S.- and Mexican-based analog broadcasts. With Mexico proceeding on a 20-year plan to shut off its analog broadcasts by 2011, as covered in the Wikipedia entry on the subject, most households won't be sprinting off to the nearest electronic stores anytime soon to redeem their two DTV coupons offered by the federal government. Broadcasters along the border also claim that their customers "would miss out on any future U.S. emergency broadcasts" because their viewers' decision to forgo the DTV transition coupon program and the purchase of a converter box, according to HD Guru.

The bill addresses the area along the Mexican border, but what about other communities involved in the same predicament? Canada is not expected to fully switch over to DTV until 2011.

So we have to ask, what should the federal government do now after spending millions of dollars on DTV coupons and a high-profile public service campaign? Should Congress go ahead and pass the bill or stick to their guns and have the United States completely transition to DTV in February?

(Source: HD Guru)

[popsnie]

Pardon me for asking, but what you are saying is, if I understand it correctly, some people will stick with their analog televisions, because they either cannot afford a DTV or converter, or are completely happy with the stations they can still receive from across the border, which will be totally adequate for them, because they can listen to news, programming and warnings that will be broadcast from across the border. Problem? It seems to me that our local broadcasters need to update their programming to gain more listeners. The people that are buying the goods that are advertised may well be on THIS side of the border!!

[daren.darrow]

Yes, we should fully transition to DTV. There's nothing stopping those residents on the U.S. side of the border from using the built-in analog receiver to continue to receive signals transmitted across the border from Mexico after the U.S. transition its broadcasts to DTV.

[gerrrg]

I just finished off my email to my Representative:

I understand the concerns of our fellow Americans in southern states bordering Mexico, however I believe H.R. 5435 will only exacerbate the transition from analog to digital, and is useless.

Without a uniform transition across the entire country, the analog bandwidth becomes useless for the advancement of nationwide wireless services that could bring all Americans into the wireless age as well as the development of a universal emergency, wireless network. Without a uniform transition, we end up creating two classes of Americans, and we deprive the analog class from the benefits of the digital age.

It is without merit that southern television broadcasters would complain about the DTV transition; we have known for years that this was coming, and local governments and broadcasters have had more than enough time to transition their users over to DTV. The NAB has been covering the digital transition for well over two years. Do southern broadcasters exist in a bubble? It is also simply unacceptable for them to proffer the argument that people will be left out of the Emergency Broadcast System. I currently use digital OTA, which has a perfect, clear signal. On the other hand, my OTA analog is complete snow. IF anything, digital increases the reach of OTA Emergency Broadcasts. Further, most people simply do not live in a vacuum, and those that do wouldn't care about an Emergency Broadcast, to begin with. Finally, it is racist to implement separate strategies for one border while the other (Canada's date for transition is 2011) is ignored, and the extended date of 2014 has no bearing with anything. Mexico's date for transition is 2021, which makes 2014 nonsensical. It rather seems to me that the 2014 date is purely arbitrary, and arbitrary laws have no place in our government.

Please do not vote for H.R. 5435. Thank you for your consideration.

(You may copy and paste if you wish.)

[rondelv]

The transition should continue as planned and should include all areas of the US. This situation can be handled by simply using DTV converters that allow analog pass-through.

[Donaldsc]

These stations are suggesting the they should be able to delay DTV because they service Mexico. Since when does Mexico have any right to try to tell us how to run our communications industry? Or have we become a part of Mexico to be run by that government (if you can call what they have a government)?

DON

[scootermcbean]

Well, since when does a US administration have the right to tell Iraq how to run their government (if you call what Iraq has now a government)?
As a Canadian living close to the US border, (80% of us do,) I will be loosing access to 6 US stations that either advertise directly to Canadians or, in the case of the PBS stations, derive the majority of viewer funding from Canadian donors. Our ********* federal government is keeping silent about any type of advanced coupon program because we've already got the CBC. I stand to loose access to 60% of my free to air viewing unless I buck-up. I doubt that these 'freed-up' airwaves will even be useable until the foreign (Canadian/Mexican) border stations switch over anyway.
Don't forget that Mexico got the crappy end of the stick in the Mexican?American War so part of Mexico is already American.

[Pepsi Guy]

I believe the issue is that many of the viewers of border stations live in Mexico, and the stations are reluctant to transition because they fear a loss of advertising dollars due to lower viewership.

[Donaldsc]

I've got a better idea - require that all Mexican stations conform to our standards, not the other way around.

DON

[AKIELB]

I think this is the stations thinking that most of their viewers are illegal and won't go in and pick up their coupons for the converters. But hey, we(taxpayers) give them heath care and schooling so why wouldn't we just buy them all new TV's.

[scootermcbean]

I'm sure that most of those 'illegal' viewers are still contributing to the local economy and as such have a right to be advertised at by American stations.

[bear_foot]

I belive that if they break in this country, steal jobs from americans and steal health care, food stamps, they are not contrubuting to this country and why should america let them watch our tv? they wont be able to understand most of it