Anything for TV--Nothing for Fair Elections
Lawmakers See Challenges for TV Transition
By Kim Hart Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, September 17, 2008; D02
In the next five months, federal officials preparing Americans for the conversion to digital television have to clear up reception glitches, sort out problems with hooking up converter boxes and find a way to make sure coupons for those converters get to the viewers who need them.
Rep. Heather A. Wilson (R-N.M.) described the perils of the tasks yesterday during a hearing by the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet:
"The government can do a lot of things, but you mess up people's televisions, and they're going to be very upset. It's going to be a real mess when it rolls out in the real world."
_______________________________________________________________ If I'm not mistaken, we have a national election in the next seven weeks and guaranteeing the integrity of the computers upon which that election will depend is a 'real mess when it rolls out in the real world' that Congress cannot handle. But, compared to TV, I mean really! You mess up people's televisions and Heather knows the price to be paid. No one but a member of the Heather generation could really understand.
Deregulate the broadcast media, who cares? It's all bad programming anyway. Fail to watch the skullduggery on Wall Street? Hey, win a little, lose a little. A war? A little eavesdropping? A rich-get-richer, poor-get-children mentality? That's the way it goes, bro.
But don't let the screen go snowy on me when it's third and goal. I got some priorities you know.