burgessms
join:2002-05-29
Los Angeles, CA
| reply to pnh102
Re: This Program Deserves To Fail
said by pnh102  :Since when is it the taxpayers' responsibility to guarantee peoples' "right" to watch TV anyway? If people who watch TV care enough about the long-overdue DTV transition, they can go take care of this themselves. Since the gummiment decided to change the pre-existing scheme, and not have it be backwards compatible. Like adding color to TV, or stereo to FM. The gummiment is makeing a bundle from the airwave auction, and so they should actually pay the whole bill to convert my existing built in TV. I'm glad they will cover a good chunk of it with the coupon. |
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Camelot One
Premium,MVM
join:2001-11-21
Sarasota, FL
clubs:
| reply to pnh102
said by pnh102 :Yes, AT&T should absolutely be required to subsidize new 3G phones for those who signed - and are still under - contracts with the older phones. --
Intel Q6600 @3400Mhz/GA-EP35-DS3P/2x 2048Mb G.Skill/Seagate 750.10/EVGA 8800GT's SLI/Silverstone 850W/Custom water cooler |
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k1ll3rdr4g0n
join:2005-03-19
Homer Glen, IL
| reply to cdru
said by cdru :Says the person not on a fixed income...which is really what the program was suppose to help with. I think anyone here can afford $50. Credit cards anyone...
Oh..umm...sorry  .
But really, ropeguru does have a point, $50 for a box that lets you watch TV and should last you years doesn't cost you that much is pretty good. Consider the cost of a DVR or a cable set-top box. Plus you get more channels, and clearer, with DTV, so its kinda a no brainier. If you really can't afford $50, talk to your neighbors to see if they will loan you money, setup an outreach program, do something...just don't complain about it. Don't make the problem worse, always work towards the solution to the problem and you will go far. |
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pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
 ·Comcast
| reply to RR Conductor
said by RR Conductor :Man, you should move to Somalia, where they have no pesky government programs to annoy, of course, you'll have to deal with being shot at, starved and other nice things. Funny you mention that. There never seems to be a cop around when you need one, unless it is to give you a traffic ticket.
I know that policing is not a federal responsibility, but the fact that the government is being asked to pay for entertainment (be it in the form of expanded TV coupon subsidies, stadiums, etc.) while government services that should be provided suffer say a lot about spending priorities in this country.
--
Blagojevich / Madoff 2012! |
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pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
·Comcast
| reply to goalieskates
said by goalieskates :Since the taxpayers who were perfectly satisfied with tv as it was were forced to give up perfectly working sets. You mandate change, you make it possible. Oh poo. Technology changes. On another thread, it is being claimed that AT&T is dumping part of its EDGE service in favor of 3G. Should the government (or AT&T for that matter) be required to subsidize new 3G phones for the affected users?
What about when we dumped AMPS last year? Why was there no massive government coupon program to get the last of the AMPS users to newer cell phones?
If TV is that important to someone, they will upgrade, on their own. If you can afford to own a TV, you can afford to pay the full price of a converter box.
I also take this angle, as pointed out on The Simpsons awhile back: "TV Networks give you thousands of hours of entertainment for free, what do they owe you?"
--
Blagojevich / Madoff 2012! |
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cdru
Go Colts
Premium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
1 edit | reply to Juke Box
said by Juke Box :It has to do with the goberment wanting to to take all the analogue signals for their selves. First of all, it's there analog bandwidth to begin with ultimately. And if they were taking it for themselves, why would they auction it back off, to others? A better technology came about (DTV) and they are making use of it. Without them doing this, the analog spectrum would continued to be use forever as there would be no incentive for stations to switch.
The point is that every American that watches tv or not will have to switch. Period. Well, if they don't watch TV, they don't exactly have anything to switch.
And for the ones that do... Cable TV and Satellite have 65m customers. Dish Network has about 13.7m and DirecTV right around 20m. So that makes about 98.7m subscribers out of approximiately 112m households or 88%. Those subscribers would NOT need converter boxes unless they had a TV that was not hooked up.
I'm not saying that you can only benefit from the program if you are on fixed income. My reply was to the post by ropeguru that says that if people can't afford a $49 STB that they need to be out working and not sitting around watching TV.
I'm not going to have sympathy for some DINK that is bitching and complaining that he isn't getting his $50 discount on his home entertainment center's 5th tuner. But for the elderly widow that is barely scraping by on a monthly social security check and would need to decide between food, medicines, or a $50 cable box, that is what I beleive this program really should have been for. |
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ropeguru
Premium
join:2001-01-25
Bridgeport, WV
clubs: | reply to cdru
Then it should have denied all those people not on fixed incomes the coupons. |
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BinaryXtreme
join:2004-04-20
Sparks, NV | reply to Titus Pullo
That's why this is posted. The problem is either you don't know how or just regret to see who I responded to so stop your drivel. |
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BinaryXtreme
join:2004-04-20
Sparks, NV | reply to disconnected
So true. |
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RR Conductor
RailRoadDude
Premium
join:2002-04-02
Redwood Valley, CA
·Comcast
1 edit | reply to pnh102
said by pnh102 :Since when is it the taxpayers' responsibility to guarantee peoples' "right" to watch TV anyway? If people who watch TV care enough about the long-overdue DTV transition, they can go take care of this themselves. Man, you should move to Somalia, where they have no pesky government programs to annoy, of course, you'll have to deal with being shot at, starved and other nice things.
--
»www.amtrak.com
»www.amtrakcalifornia.com
»www.metrolinktrains.com
»www.narprail.org
»www.freightrailworks.org
»www.up.com
»www.bnsf.com
»www.northcoastrailroad.org
»www.sonomamarintrain.org |
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tschmidt
Premium,MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
 ·Hollis Hosting
 ·Verizon Online DSL
·Fairpoint Communic..
| reply to dvd536
said by dvd536 : the cellphone companies should be funding this because they're what this move to digital is all about. Indirectly they are. Where do you think coupon program money is coming from? It is about 10% of spectrum auction proceeds.
/tom |
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dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
| reply to pnh102
said by pnh102 :Since when is it the taxpayers' responsibility to guarantee peoples' "right" to watch TV anyway? If people who watch TV care enough about the long-overdue DTV transition, they can go take care of this themselves. the cellphone companies should be funding this because they're what this move to digital is all about.
--
When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee |
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Juke Box
Free From Marketing
Premium
join:2001-01-29
Bar & Grill
·Comcast
| reply to cdru
It has nothing to do with fixed income or not. It has to do with the goberment wanting to to take all the analogue signals for their selves. The point is that every American that watches tv or not will have to switch. Period.
--
If you are having half as much fun as I am, then I must be having twice the fun than you are. Do The Math! |
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cdru
Go Colts
Premium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN | reply to ropeguru
Says the person not on a fixed income...which is really what the program was suppose to help with. |
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Camelot One
Premium,MVM
join:2001-11-21
Sarasota, FL
clubs:
| reply to fiberguy
Well it sounds like a great idea to me. We give AT&T the $80 per household. Let AT&T run the program, selling the boxes for the $9.99 difference in price between the "coupon" and the retail price. Then they can tack on a "box service fee", a "digital transition recovery fee", and a "paper billing fee", along with some taxes and a USF fee, bringing the customer's total back up to $49.99.
They can then use the surplus of funds to buy the next FCC head and commissioners the way they have with Martin, ensuring "consumer friendly" regulation for years to come.
--
Intel Q6600 @3400Mhz/GA-EP35-DS3P/2x 2048Mb G.Skill/Seagate 750.10/EVGA 8800GT's SLI/Silverstone 850W/Custom water cooler |
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disconnected
@sbcglobal.net
| reply to BinaryXtreme
said by BinaryXtreme :I totally agree. Isn't television entertainment? Why not government coupons for me to go to the movies and play miniature golf. Oh yes, bowling and golf certificates should be mandatory too. Not to mention that this is pretty clear. If you can't understand the conversion, let me give you some advice. 1. Turn off your television. 2. Unplug it from the wall. 3. Get a rubber mallet. 4. Start bashing yourself in the head with the mallet. That is your new free form of entertainment. Also, don't worry about any brain damage from the head blows because it really doesn't make a difference when one has no thought process to begin with. But don't you get it? Television is the primary means by which the government controls its subjects through big media propaganda. They can't afford to lose that segment of the population who watches TV, because they are the most impressionable and trusting of the government to do right in its infinite wisdom.  |
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Titus Pullo
I came, I saw, I slept
join:2004-06-26 | reply to BinaryXtreme
I have a New Years Resolution for you.
Read. The. Linked. Article. Before. Posting. Drivel.
-- |
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Titus Pullo
I came, I saw, I slept
join:2004-06-26
·Embarq
| reply to tschmidt
said by tschmidt :Coupon program is not taxpayer funded. As part of the digital TV transition FCC auctioned UHF channels 52-69. Auction generated billions in revenue. To compensate people for making analog TV obsolete a small portion of this revenue is being used to fund the coupon program. You have evidently interjected mitigating fact into a topic worthy of hate speak.
Housekeeping has been alerted.
** Disregard the quoted message and continue berating your fellow human beings **
Thank you
-- |
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goalieskates
join:2004-09-12
Knoxville, TN
·Knology
·Comcast
| reply to pnh102
said by pnh102 :Since when is it the taxpayers' responsibility to guarantee peoples' "right" to watch TV anyway? If people who watch TV care enough about the long-overdue DTV transition, they can go take care of this themselves. Since the taxpayers who were perfectly satisfied with tv as it was were forced to give up perfectly working sets. You mandate change, you make it possible.
The government made an enormous profit on this deal, it wasn't done out of kindness. And I doubt very much you care about "the taxpayers". |
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fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20 | reply to pnh102
Oh cool! you're a comedian today too! lol
AT&T trusted to run a program that benefits the competition? hah! Seriously.. I am normally thinking the way you do.. but this one is way hard for me to support you on. |
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