Comments on: Feds unveil digital-TV subsidy details

All American households desiring converter boxes to let analog TVs play digital broadcasts may apply for up to two $40 coupons.

[norole]

FEDS UNVEIL DIGITAL-TV SUBSIDY DETAILS - Thank your U.S. Congress!

I remember watching CSPAN when Congress discussed the digital tv broadcasting and reception and took testimony from manufacturers of television receivers. Some folks will certainly benefit positively as not everyone yet can afford HDTV receivers and that was the focus of Congress in the overall approval to switch from analog to digital broadcasting as well as the use of the analog signals frequency reallocation.

[skeptik]

Typical government waste and lobbyism

Or...
Perhaps those who stand to benefit the most from the change could simply be expected to pony up and provide the actual box (a single model, simple box flexible enough to meet all requirements) to consumers who need them. A single simple model of the box would keep the cost of these boxes below what the free market (read for-profit suppliers) with multiple alternatives can provide. The free distribution to consumers would eliminate the issue with reselling coupons or hardware. Since these boxes would do little more that convert a digital signal to an analog signal, there would be no interest in them by the "millionaires" who already have digital TV.

"A number of high-tech companies are clamoring to bid on the leftover spectrum"
And if the companies who plan to profit from this conversion make just a little less money, who really cares? This conversion currently stands to be a huge windfall for a few companies and a large cost to millions of consumers.
Afterall, I don't see anyone selling analog TVs today warning consumers that the box will be worthless in 2 years. It's almost fraudulent that they can continue to sell TVs that don't meet the upcoming standard... it's not like they haven't had a decade to prepare for this, along with postponements in implementation already.

[mjd420nova]

No, no more cheese.

Another free government giveaway. Why does the taxpayer have to support these advancements that only profit the manufacturers?? If these new conversions of analog TV signals to digital result in the freeing up of more spectrum for yet more analog voice communications, why aren't these advancements applied to the radio spectrum that will only affect the police and emergency services who are buying newer equipment all the time. Why is the average taxpayer asked to support these advancements when the private industry are the ones driving these changes??

[frrech42]

tv digital receiver

i will wait for china to put on the market and get one for about 20.00 dollars

[frrech42]

digital hoopla

I am considering putting my old antena back on the chimney and wait and see what happens. Before they get anymore of my money i think i will read many books and be done with the techno world its getting boring any-way and will change in one month

[shaftk]

Why not free?

If the converter boxes cost between 50 and 70 dollars, why don't they just give them to us free instead of making us pony up 10-30 bucks. If they are sending out tens of millions of vouchers, you can't tell me they can't work out a deal to get the converters for $40. If you bought 10 million plasma tv's you could probably get them for $40 a piece.

[drchocobo]

You wanna know what the voucher program did? heheh go to ebay and type in hdtv converter.

they buy then for 10 bucks plus voucher and resell them for 20 or more. Frauding the taxpayers one voucher at a time. This is worse than that stupid air conditioner giveaway where they wound up in pawn shops less than a week later. Texas taxpayers made a lot of scum rich for a day lol.

Funny that they only devoted maybe three whole sentances to that little catch :)