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Post by brassmonkey on Sept 25, 2008 15:09:50 GMT -5
This really rubs me the wrong way. Just as I don't smoke but support the smoker's right to do it, I already have digital TV, but get a little worked up when I think about the government requiring by law that television be digital. This means that people will have to spend money to upgrade their equipment or buy a converter box to keep their old equipment. What's the logic in this law? I don't get it. Sure the picture and sound are better, but should the government regulate the quality of your television viewing experience and forbid poor quality broadcasts?
Just as Massachusetts now requires carbon monoxide detectors and doesn't provide them, and they require tire pressure monitoring systems on all cars made from here on out, requiring anything that isn't safety related doesn't seem Constitutional to me.
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Post by homebase on Sept 25, 2008 18:45:30 GMT -5
"This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector." - Plato
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Post by homebase on Sept 26, 2008 9:47:10 GMT -5
I was informed that all the water coolers were removed from the schools and that the kids were only allowed to bring in bottled water. No water in a thermos or flavored water. Several I have asked have confirmed that.
Anyone have any info on that? I don't get it if that is true.
As far as going digital, is it a law or did all the networks (privately owned) decide that on their own?
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Post by brassmonkey on Sept 26, 2008 12:12:52 GMT -5
As far as going digital, is it a law or did all the networks (privately owned) decide that on their own? Clinton signed into law THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996. After reading more about it, it appears the reason for it is the nanny state wanting parents to control what their kids see on TV. They can't just expect parents to do the right thing-they have to continue the act of legislating us to death.. I guess the only way this can be accomplished with with a V-chip. Analog signals can't be regulated or blocked by the V-chip, because they're not identifiable by a computer. Only digitally encoded ratings are. Pretty soon there will be a low on which way the toilet paper should unroll off of the holder-over or under. "To address violence on television, the Act requires TV manufacturers, within 2 years of enactment, to include blocking technology (the "V-chip") in all TV sets. The Act encourages the broadcast and cable industries to create a voluntary rating system within one year. If they do not create a rating system, the FCC would establish an Advisory Committee to recommend a rating system. Use of ratings would be voluntary, but any rating must be sent electronically" |
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kevin
Sergeant
Posts: 127
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Post by kevin on Sept 26, 2008 20:13:40 GMT -5
The radio and television broadcast frequencies are considered public property and are supposed to be administered by the federal government, specifically the FCC, in trust for the public good. This includes such things as frequency management and licensing to ensure that multiple stations do not interfere with one another, either accidentally or deliberately, and setting standards for broadcast formats to ensure interoperability with receivers. Requirements are placed on licensees for the public good. These include requirements to broadcast public service announcements and EBS alerts.
The point of this is to show that the government does have a legitimate and necessary role in regulating television broadcast frequencies and standards. The question is whether the specific regulation mandating migration to digital-only broadcasts is in the public interest. Honestly I'm a bit torn in that the transition seemed somewhat rushed, but I think it was going to have to happen sooner or later.
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