Senate Passes Legislation to Delay Switch to Digital TV

The U.S. and world economies are crumbling, financial institutions are still begging for more bailout dollars, domestic automakers are on the brink of self-destruction, American soldiers are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan and violence in the Middle East reached a crescendo recently. Clearly something must be done. Luckily, the U.S. Senate is on the job and ready to serve, having voted unanimously yesterday to delay the transition from analog to digital television broadcasts by four months.

That’s right – you may not have any money, the world may be crumbling around you, but even if you don’t have digital cable, a digital-capable television or an analog-to-digital converter, you’ll still likely be able to watch the tube come February 17, the originally- date of scheduled conversion. Now, all that remains is for the House to pass the measure to ensure that no one will miss their favorite shows. In all fairness, the Nielson Company estimated that over 6.5 million U.S. households would have been without television if there switch were to go off as planned in February, sot he delay is probably for the best. Noted Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-WV, "Delaying the upcoming DTV switch is the right thing to do. I firmly believe that our nation is not yet ready to make this transition at this time."

Some may ask aloud, "who cares?" And it’s a good hypothetical question to be sure, but when one considers that the advertising industry, and business in general, is so dependent on broadcast television to advertise and sell goods and services - and to thus grow the economy, ratchet up the stocks in those recently-decimated 401(k) accounts and produce more jobs – maybe the answer is "we all should." To be certain, it seems like an utterly silly concern amidst a series of crises that face the nation and the world, but there’s no denying that Americans love their TV. And, come February 17, if the Senate has anything to say about it, they will not be denied.