The DTV Debate in Congress

A few weeks ago the U.S. Senate voted to extend the deadline for the analog TV shut down from February until June, but the House shut it down. But now Congress seems to be talking again.

Now, personally, I'm a die hard Democrat, and agree with President Obama and the Democratic Congress on a lot of things, but this issue threw me. With all the pressing issues in the world, why does the government care about my television reception?

The TV, Internet, and radio ads have been everywhere. The DTV converter coupon program started about a year ago. I got my own DTV box last summer. In my opinion people had plenty of time to order their DTV coupons. Even with the program running out of money and some people being on a waiting list this is hardly a tragedy. There are other forms of entertainment and other sources of news out there. Personally, I have a few shows a week I like and the rest of the time the TV is off. Mess with my Internet Access and you have a different story.

I've actually gone several months without a TV -- even before I had a computer. I didn't really miss it. It saved me a lot of money. Not only did I not have a cable bill or have to pay for the electricity to run a television, but I cut back on impulse buying. It's a lot easier to resist the urge to order that pizza if you never see the commercial -- especially when it's 6:30 p.m. and your watching The Simpson's and you realize you're hungry, but you don't want to get up and go into the kitchen and make something.

Yes, ads are everywhere. On the radio, on billboards, inside bathroom stalls, in newspapers and magazines and on the Internet. There will most likely be a few on this article. But nowhere is the potential consumer more vulnerable to the power of suggestion than while engaging in the passive activity of watching TV. And with the country in a recession right now, every penny counts -- especially with tax refunds going out.

So maybe, as part of the big picture, there is something to this DTV issue afterall, but it's not about the "sacrafice" the television watcher is making by being forced to pick up a book rather than watch "Survivor." We can stop pretending that anyone in congress -- of any party- really cares about that plight. As with anything else the bottom line is the bottom line. The potential tragedy is not in missing who gets kicked off the island, but in the possiblity that someone might lose their job because the sales are down at their workplace, and get kicked out of their home. With millions watching white noise, that possibility becomes more real for a lot of people.