[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Yearly TV Licence? ...Really?

[P. Alexis Nguyen]

> Carol, glad to know about this program and wishing it were better
> publicized!

Ali:
Interesting... at least with where I live (Philadelphia), I used to
see mentions of this program everywhere.  I used to get up early
enough to watch some of the morning shows before work, and there was
always a small segment on this program, which means there were
segments of this very often since I can only tolerate 15 minutes or so
of any morning program (something about extremely perky people who
have been up since 5am bothers me that early in the morning).  Is this
not true in other parts of the country?



marion11111:
> Well, my mother is most certainly techniologically challenged and
> now I'm beginning to think I might be too. So, some areas are
> already broadcasting digital signals over the air and these can be
> picked up with the box, but if most channels are still analog then
> the box will screw them up? Did I understand correctly? Arrgh.
> Like someone said - leave it to the government to make it REALLY
> complicated.

Ali:
Just pretend you didn't hear anything.  :)  Trust me, chances are good
(though not 100%) that your box will work as built and that you'll be
able to pick up all the requisite channels just fine.  Besides, it's
not like we're all going to be 2/8 and wake up on 2/9 with the world
totally different - a load of experts are predicting the change to be
fairly gradual.

And let me throw out the seemingly unpopular opinion that I'm in full
support of this move towards digital signals and opening up a new
playing field.  (Frankly, I'd be happier had Google and not Verizon
won [sort of] the bid for the bands that the government auctioned off,
but at least C Block is forcing open networks the chance to become
reality instead of a complete pipe dream.)  I've got a lot of
criticism for the US government, but in this one instance, I support
the move (just like I'd be one of the few who would support the move
to the metric system - still don't understand the imperial system,
personally).  I'm crazy, I know.

Besides, it's not like the change is a complete surprise.  The
government auction was huge news, for one.  More importantly, for
anyone who has bought a TV in the past few years (like me), they very
likely came with stickers that makes it difficult to ignore the fact
that the move to digital program was happening.  Sometimes, there
isn't a choice and you have to be forced into change instead of being
eased - though I do understand how that can cause anger in many
people, as constantly reminded to me by work's recent change to a new
DMS.

~Ali, who is fighting a migraine (with the help of medicine) at the
moment so hopes that folks will forgive any glaring errors left in her
email

PS  As far as I understand it, there is much rumblings about how
there's going to be changes to that 90 days expiration thing.  I don't
know that anything will come of it before we come much closer to the
due dates, but the officials that I've seen [that has been sent on TV]
have all mentioned the 90 days expiration and that there is talks of
making easier for people somehow.