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Sunday, March 30, 2008
Causing Panic In The Streets
"What gives them the right to force me to buy a new TV?" demanded my sister-in-law's cousin at Easter dinner. The trigger for this outburst was a discussion of how Verizon FIOS was pulling the plug on providing analog feeds of metro New York City TV stations and giving out free 'mini' converter boxes for use on customer TV's that currently have no box.
Cousin Lizzy (a pseudonym) had obviously seen those "end of analog" PSAs that strangely leave out the words "over the air" when saying that all TV must be digital by February '09.
"Money", I quickly shot back. "The Federal Government is looking to make billions of dollars selling soon to be unused TV channels to cell phone and internet companies. But wait, you have cable, don't you?" I asked. "Time Warner", she said. "Then you're fine" I said. "All you have to do is wait for the letter from Time Warner saying that you have to get cable boxes for the sets that don't already have them. The only people that have to worry are the people that are getting their TV with rabbit ears or antennas on the roof. They are the only ones who are going to loose their picture. They need to get one of the government's $40 coupons for a digital converter box."
Cousin Lizzy was disarmed but still indignant, so I added "Because they can. They're from the government and they are here to help you." And child of the '30's Cousin Lizzy understood.