FCC extends analog TV deadline to 2012 - TechSpot News (this is not news, btw. Apparently from Sept 12th of 2007):

The FCC voted unanimously that cable companies will be required to continue to offer local channels in analog until at least 2012, 3 years longer than originally planned. The FCC's justification for this is that a large amount of homes (40 million or more) still have only analog TV sets. While many of those could have some form of DAC (like a cable box) inside, there are still many who may be relying solely on analog signals.


You've got to be kidding me. I'll bet a dollar that the poorest folk with TVs don't get cable and use over the air reception. They'll have to have digital broadcast ready equipment in Feb of next year.

Now those with *cable* get until 2012 because "a large amount of homes (40 million or more) still have only analog TV sets". This is absolute baloney. Cable companies often require people with less than basic to carry some sort of converter box (the cable box) already, and rather than have cable companies subsidize their own customers, we give them a break and make the poorest of the poor shell out for new equipment.

Brilliant. This is the biggest scam I've seen from the gov't that I can remember. Why there's no outrage over it -- other than nobody's yet affected and most everyone wanted an excuse to buy a new TV -- I don't understand.

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