What Motivates the DTV Delay?

So Congress finally passes yet another delay to the digital TV switch-over. It’s a small matter ultimately, but can our government seem any more dysfunctional at this point? Why would we delay, yet again, an act that would modernize and enrich the television viewing experience of all Americans; that would provide an economic net plus to the nations bottom line while we are in the very midsts of an oncoming depression; that would only further enable people not to do what is required of them; that would free up spectrum to emergency responders in this so-called age of terrorism? There are so many reasons to move forward. What good reasons at this point can we possibly have for standing still?

This bit of historical reading might be an eye opener to some people.  In summary, this was a switch-over originally scheduled for 2006, (postponed in 2005), planned in 1997, and originates from proof of concept demonstrations in 1988. 1988! It has taken us over 20 years to move, as a country, from analog to digital television. Why? Why did congress decide to delay the 2006 deadline to 2009? And why does congress now believe adding another six months will make any significant difference after all this time?

The acting FCC Chairman, Michal Copps, said in a recent statement:

It has long been clear to me — and it’s even clearer since I became acting FCC chairman two weeks ago — that the country is not prepared to undertake a nationwide transition in 12 days without unacceptably high consumer dislocation. The additional four months provided by the law affords urgently-needed time for a more phased transition.

I would really like to know what consumers he is talking about. I know no one, and I mean no one, that watches TV over the air waves anymore. They have all switched to cable or satellite, or they simply do not watch broadcast television. And it is not that I am overly affluent to not be aware of the things poor people do. On the contrary, I live quite close to the bottom of this nations barrel. I have no doubt there have been poor souls out there trying to eek out a good viewing from their static filled sets, but I assure you, having myself been in that place in desperate attempts to watch X-Files back in the late 90s, they are the last people in the world seeking to hold up the transition. These people have already received their rebate coupons, bought the boxes, and are now watching a clear picture on digital TV. Any consumer who hasn’t yet seen fit to get off the couch and find a way to get on the DTV bandwagon at this point, is not going to get off their butts six months from now either.

What is clear is that 6 months isn’t going to fundamentally change anything in so far as people actually being prepared. People have had years to prepare. And the TV’s have been bombarded with ads about the switch-over for the last year. So there’s really no excuse for people to be unaware –if they aren’t already they must not be watching much TV!

The official excuse they are giving is that funding for the coupon program ran out last month and they fear millions of people will be caught unprepared. That’s pretty funny, considering it doesn’t take much to correct a funding problem. And add to that the irony that the delay bill doesn’t address the funding issue at all. Besides that, I just sent away for my rebate coupons a few weeks ago, and they are now in my hand. Doesn’t appear to be much of a problem there.

We all know how our government works. Our representatives are but bit pieces in the horse of the people’s business. It’s the lobbyist that pull the reigns. And not to disappoint, that is exactly what has happened here as well. Who were the lobbyists behind the decision to delay?

Among those present were National Association of Broadcasters president David Rehr, National Cable & Telecommunications Association president Kyle McSlarrow and Washington representatives for Fox and ABC, among others.

Now I happen to know Kyle McSlarrow by way of his father. And through the grape vine I have been able to gain some insight into the inner workings of the world of lobbyists. First of all you would not believe how much these people get paid –they themselves can’t believe how much they get paid. Trust me, none of them are worrying about their TVs going black on Feb 17th. Secondly, they get paid the big bucks for a very good reason. Because they are hired to be professional pushers. Deep down they knows this, but for that kind of money almost anyone would find good ways to justify their “service to the country”. In fact I’m guessing they have very well paid therapists to help make sure of it.

I imagine Obama is being told that it has to be done to avoid pissing off millions of people that aren’t prepared. That’s unfortunate for him. If he read tech-news sites he would learn he’s is actually pissing off a hell of lot more people that are. The internet is full of messages from the people disgruntled with the delay. I don’t really blame Obama. He doesn’t have time to explore details for himself. So he just taking the advice of the “experts”.

But why are the top lobbyist for the big media , and cable and telecommunications industry advising for a delay? A delay that any rational human being can see is pointless? It’s hard to be sure exactly what these men are considering. Their meetings are held in confidence after all. But we can be sure it is to first and foremost to serve their constituents, their companies and their directors.

So what motive then?

It may be as simple as the potential of my last post. Six months might not seem like a lot of time, but that could mean many customers to the cable companies. Once people get DTV, there will certainly be those who decide they can live without cable. I think the industry knows this. I’m sure they’d kill the whole affair if they could. I suspect they might try to delay again in June. Whether they succeed or not, at least six months gives them more time to prepare, such as incentive programs to keep customers, and hell, maybe eve stock strategies to move their money out of the cable business.

It will be interesting to see what happens when June roles around.