Assignment 2-1

Not many things in popular culture play a bigger part in our life than television. Something many of its users don’t know is that the way they view television will change whether they want it to or not. Everything is in motion to remove every last pair of rabbit ears in American households.

Like everything in our lives, our televisions will soon go digital. “The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill 33-17.” The Senate approved the bill the week previous (Shreve 2005). This made the transition official and set a date for the change. People would have to receive digital signals to view television or not view it at all.

The latest in the switch do digital is a bump in the road. Another member of the Bush team resigned. “John Kneuer was named administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in May 2006 by President Bush” (Dunbar 2007). As administrator, he was Bush’s top adviser in the transition and left as so many do when things were starting to be criticized. The date is set at February 18, 2009 and the government has spent “$5 million of the total was earmarked for consumer education” (Dunbar). It is the five millions dollars that is in question as many Americans are unaware of the change.

At the same time, the government is trying to ease the transition. “The approved bill sets aside $990 million, which would provide 23 million coupons worth $40 to use toward the cost of a converter” (Shreve 2005). It is an attempt to help those who are unable to afford the transition or those who find the change inappropriate. Either way it is a change that is costing taxpayers money, and most of them don’t even know it is happening.

References

Dunbar, J. (2007). Digital TV Transition Chief Resigns. Retrieved Nov 11, 2007 from

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071110/ap_on_hi_te/digital_tv;_ylt=AjgDdnTe01UBOioMr1w94ras0NUE

Shreve, M. (2005). House Oks Switch to Digital TV. Retrieved Nov 11, 2007 from

http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid={271E7104-6CE3-4DA5-8B4C-AA0BB45160E6}&siteid=google