The Rant: Lost in Transition

On June 12 Americans will have the first major change in broadcast television since the color TV was invented. They will go digital. Now watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune before that new episode of Lost will all be in crisp digital deliciousness. You'll probably try to reach out and spin that wheel yourself.
But you just might end up on bankrupt.
The digital transition program has been eating up millions of tax dollars for the past two years, and it doesn't look any more promising in the short term. FCC Chairman Dennis Martin said that additional funding simply for education would be 20 to 30 million dollars, just over the next few months. This doesn't include the increased cost in the federal "coupons" that transition candidates can apply for to purchase converter boxes.
These coupons are also misleading. First, they only cover a portion of the cost to purchase a converter box. There is still fifteen bucks that someone has to lay down of their hard earned on top of the $40 coupon in order to purchase the box. Additionally, especially in rural Maine, most people will need digital antennas which cost around $50. Some will even need external antennas on top of their house in order to receive signal, which can be very pricey. Now, I think the types of people who watch only broadcast television can be separated into three general categories:
First is the person who just doesn't want to pay for television. Maybe they don't watch it that often and only need it for the news or to fall asleep to Letterman, they just don't find the need for cable or satellite TV. Second is the person who can't afford the monthly cost of cable or satellite. They watch their local channels because it is cheap, they have a TV from the mid 90's (it might not even have audio/video inputs, which means he'd have to use an RF adapter to play games...pssshhh) and can't afford to upgrade. The third is my catch all category. These are people who are against TV, watching it from a black and white on a shopping cart in some alley (probably Anthony in five years), or move around too much to have a residence and pay a monthly cable bill.
So these three types of people now have to drop 75 bucks, on top of what they have already been paying in tax money to fund the digital transition program, to watch most of the same TV they watched before, but now in crystal clear digital. I don't think any of these people really care about the quality of their picture and, chances are, if they had a choice to have a free-sometimes-static-filled picture or a one time fee of 75 dollars for a really nice one, they would still choose the free option. I know I would, and have so far.

This problem is going to hit Maine harder than most other states, I realize. We have many people that get one or two stations up in the County or in the Lakes Region who will effectively lose their television watching capabilities. Their are disclaimers on all of the digital transition alerts that people living in valleys who receive transmission now most likely will not after the transition. That is great for us, you know, living in the foothills of the Appalachian valley and all.
Ultimately, the digital transition is being rushed. There are too many people, especially in today's horrible economy, who can't afford it. Out of all the problems and goals this country has before it, I think making everyone's TV digital is last on the list.
The solution is to slow down the process. Digital TV is a good thing, if it is done right. Leaving even a handful of people in the dark when they could normally get the news and public programming for free is not permissible in this circumstance. Stretch the program out and require the transition from within television companies. Figure out the most cost effective way to send the signal, even to those rural areas that won't receive it, and if you are going to provide a subsidy or coupon, do one that is meaningful and not just a drop in the bucket. If the FCC is going to spend my tax money on digital transition, they might as well spend it right.

Dabs.