Is Feb. 17 the Drop Dead Date or Will Wimps Win?

[Stanley Kritzik]

I wonder if 2/17 will stick, or will a Jay Rockefeller bill pass -- for an extension of some six months, more or less.  I'll bet that the Congress will cave in, and we'll be limping along with analog for a long, long time.

Stan

[vegasvic]

Doesn't bother or affect me either way.

[ArgMeMatey]

My money is on the delay until June.  

Most reps will calculate that those viewers who MIGHT be negatively affected by the February cut are more likely to be old voters, whereas the TV station owners and new frequency users who would be inconvenienced by the June cut are a much smaller population.  

The effect for me is that I am too lazy to put any effort into a "real" OTA antenna system until everybody is on their final channels.  That would probably be easier in June anyway, but we'll see.

[nick3092]

The effect for me is that I am too lazy to put any effort into a "real" OTA antenna system until everybody is on their final channels.  That would probably be easier in June anyway, but we'll see.

Oh come on!  The excitement is gone if the roof isn't snow and ice covered while your working on your antenna!

[gb4fan92]

How hard can it be to print up more coupons. That's the whole reason for the proposed delay anyways isn't it?:bang::bang:

[ArgMeMatey]

Oh come on!  The excitement is gone if the roof isn't snow and ice covered while your working on your antenna!

In high school I spent five years installing TV antennas in all kinds of weather and used up about seven of my lives.  Mossy slate shingles, 30-foot aluminum ladder right next to the electric service, sliding down the roof on a broken shingle toward a very well-placed plumbing vent, stuff like that.  I never got injured, never dropped an antenna or mast, nothing more serious than dropping a wrench off the roof.  

Then when we had the heavy snow in December 2000 I was up on my own roof shoveling and realized I had used up my 8th life.  So I bought a roof rake and had my electric service put underground.  This 9th life has to last quite a few more years!

[murdoc]

How hard can it be to print up more coupons. That's the whole reason for the proposed delay anyways isn't it?:bang::bang:

They can print as many coupons off as they wanted, but there is no funding to back them up.  They need to dump more tax payer dollars into this program or fire up the mint and print off some more soon to be worthless paper bills.

[nick3092]

 Not surprising, but still disappointing.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/26/digital-tv-transition-officially-delayed-until-june-12th/

[techguy1975]

They can print as many coupons off as they wanted, but there is no funding to back them up.  They need to dump more tax payer dollars into this program or fire up the mint and print off some more soon to be worthless paper bills.

I've heard somewhere that 60% of the coupons sent out haven't been used.  So, technically, it is not out of money, but, will be once people use the coupons.  Of course, they still can't print more because the money that is in there is spoken for.

[techguy1975]

So....When is the coutdown on the homepage going to be updated??

[LoadStar]

So....When is the coutdown on the homepage going to be updated??

Soon as the change is official, I'd guess. The bill still needs to make it through the house and get Obama's signature.

[AA9VI]

How hard can it be to print up more coupons. That's the whole reason for the proposed delay anyways isn't it?:bang::bang:

no, it's a political kickback scheme for a WiFi company that donated record money to the Obama team to get on the tech committee then donated nearly equal large amounts to the DNC/RNC for the votes:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20090114-4g-war-conflict-of-interests-loom-behind-possible-dtv-delay.html

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/01/asecond-helping-of-salemme-more-questions-about-dtv-delay.ars

[nick3092]

Soon as the change is official, I'd guess. The bill still needs to make it through the house and get Obama's signature.

Considering the house is a majority of Democrats, and Obama's administration was pushing for it, those two events are inevitable.

[Will]

Considering the house is a majority of Democrats, and Obama's administration was pushing for it, those two events are inevitable.

I would have thought the same, but it failed to pass the House...

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE50R5RK20090128

I guess the bill required a 2/3 majority.  They may try again next week...

"Democrats may try again next week, but this time in a way that would possibly permit amendments and require a simple majority to pass."

[LoadStar]

I would have thought the same, but it failed to pass the House...

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE50R5RK20090128

I guess the bill required a 2/3 majority.  They may try again next week...

"Democrats may try again next week, but this time in a way that would possibly permit amendments and require a simple majority to pass."

But then, as I try and remember the hazy memories of civics class and/or Schoolhouse Rock... if the bill the House passes doesn't match the one the Senate passes... doesn't that mean the bill goes back to the Senate for them to vote on the House's version?

I don't see any way that they can reasonably get it through the House, back through the Senate, and onto Obama for passage, and with enough time before 2/17 to not cause total chaos and confusion. (Not that I don't think that even if they passed it TODAY there wouldn't be total chaos and confusion, but...)

Edit: d'oh, ignore the first paragraph of my post... had I read the article, I would see that they answered that question already.