American Corn Growers Oppose DTV Tuners

[Kevin Arnold]

This is a hoot. From the tv insight web page is the following story. If broadcasters could harness stupidity for electricity we could solve the low power issue.

"The American Corn Growers Association came out last week against a digital-tuner mandate, one of a host of "prominent public interest groups" whose opposition was cited by Consumer Electronics Association, which is fighting the mandate.

"Making broadcasters develop the programming in exchange for access to valuable public resources, a digital spectrum worth $70 billion, makes sense. Reversing course and forcing consumers to bare the brunt of the cost of the transition to digital television does not," ACGA's statement said.

What with pesticide, genetic modification and trade authority issues to worry about, how did DTV tuners wind up on corn farmers' plates.

The president of the association, Keith Dittrich, didn't know and wasn't familiar with the issue, but said ACGA does monitor some telecom issues -- it founded the Rural Telecommunications Alliance to lobby for open markets and competitive pricing.

Dittrich referred the tuner conundrum to AGCA CEO Larry Mitchell, who said he had "no idea," why they were opposing the mandate, but "was trying to find out."

[gparris]

Oh please, the Corn Growers are trying to hold up Echostar and Hughes! If Charlie Ergan of Dish Network is a threat, wait for a Brit called Murdoch...he REALLY not care about you (or HD for that matter-ref: Faux 6 and the whole Fox network). I do NOT want a merger,period. But if given the choice between Ergan and Murdoch, Ergan wins, at least his company has more HD,innovative products (exception his 6000 HD box) and better financials. This is been draging around and around for months with the merger and if the Pegasus and NRTC want action, let them build and sell their own Sat empire (or ask Murdoch) and leave the merger alone. I travel a lot into the rural areas of the country due to relatives living there and see a variety of dishes from the old larger C-band and the other two small dish guys. Maybe because their farms can actually support the larger dishes than an urban dweller can, the old C-band big dishes could become the Corn Growers ( and their kinfolk)  main SatTV event. Leave the merger alone for the majority of us. Majority rules!

[Kevin Arnold]

Read the press release. It's not about the merger but about digital tuners in new TV's. Something they have no interest in, should stay out of, and, if they continue this silly campaign, will make them look even more foolish than they already are. It would be like Milwaukee HDTV org. endorsing farm subsidies. Then again, maybe we should think about that.....

[gparris]

Sorry no rant intended about merger BUT I do know that merger talk will be next on their list. DTV tuners could help them,not hinder them,what with the multicast part and no cable availablity. I know it would be a great alternative to the cable they can't get and an alt to sat with one (possible) sat provider in the future. They should stick to corn and not loopholes in their pacts. Thankyou.

[kjnorman]

 

Originally posted by gparris:
...a Brit called Murdoch...

Hey!  Thats not fair, tainting us Brits with being associated with Murdoch.  Rupert Murdoch is Australian (see here), and remember us British sent all our undesirables and criminals to Oz.  

Enough said!

Kerry  

[This message has been edited by kjnorman (edited 08-14-2002).]

[gparris]

 

Originally posted by kjnorman:
 Hey!  Thats not fair, tainting us Brits with being associated with Murdoch.  Rupert Murdoch is Australian (see here), and remember us British sent all our undesirables and criminals to Oz.  

Enough said!

Kerry    

[This message has been edited by kjnorman (edited 08-14-2002).]

SO some undesirable Brits got sent to Australia - seems I got it right with Murdoch afterall...
Australia is run by the United Kingdom and is a puppet country . IF you ever go there, and maybe you have, well: I HAVE (for weeks and weeks). Every monument,every union strike, documents and even money (have some) says England and Queen on it. If it isn't run by Britain I don't know what is. As for being sent to "OZ", that is a GOOD thing and more Brits travel to Australia to escape London than I care to mention, having met more of them than Yanks on my travels. This is not about anti-Brit sentiment at all, just my visits and experiences. BUT Murdoch's demise means a good thing when it happens to TV, HD and all things in telecommunications. If you want to "throw-up" visit FOX WORLD in Sydney. No HD there.