That small TV with the rabbit ears you have in the basement or spare bedroom, the one you go to when your cable goes on the fritz and your Aunt Gladys watches when she visits?
U.S. lawmakers are talking about turning it into a useless conversation piece in 3 1/2 years.
The guess here is Congress isn’t so stupid as to risk a mass uprising by taking free TV away from millions of Americans and turning 70 million sets into virtual pumpkins at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve 2008.
But a draft for a digital TV transition bill submitted by the Republican majority of the House Energy and Commerce Committee at least raised the possibility those old-style sets could become obsolete overnight unless owners shell out for a converter box.
This latest proposal, subject of a subcommittee hearing Thursday, would push back the deadline for U.S. broadcasters to give up the analog frequencies over which they’ve transmitted for more than half a century to the start of 2009 rather than as early as the end of next year.
The plan is for the government then to auction off the discarded analog TV broadcast band to wireless companies for high-speed Internet use. The windfall, expected to be between $10 billion and $30 billion, could fund projects and/or offset the federal deficit, while broadcasters air programming in high-definition or multiple-channel formats afforded by digital transmission.
Eight years ago, Congress said stations would have to cut off analog broadcasts at the end of 2006, but only in markets where 85 percent of the households could actually view digital programs, which could take far, far longer in some places. By setting a deadline, plans could move ahead without delay, allowing projected auction proceeds to be budgeted.
Those looking to get their mitts on either the analog broadcast band or the piles of money from selling it off love the idea of a firm deadline, which also increases the likelihood that the conversion actually happens.
But dealing with the deadline will be something else, especially if it earmarks your old TVs for the dusty attic corner where you keep your Betamax and eight-track tape player.
See, if you live in one of the 21 million or so U.S. households that rely solely on an antenna for your TV viewing and don’t subscribe to cable or satellite services, you’re going to need a converter box to receive the digital signal once analog goes bye-bye.
That’s an estimated $50 to $60 hit for each TV set you own just to get the programs you now get free. That may not sound like much if you figure it’s a few cents a day, but it can add up, especially if you have to make a lump-sum payment and own several TVs.
Even those who pay for cable or satellite will need converters to get pictures on their old TVs that aren’t hooked up to the service.
New TVs, after mid-2006, would be required to include digital tuners, which would raise their price.
Now there has been considerable debate over how much the government should help with the conversion costs for older sets. That’s why the current draft from Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the committee and subcommittee chairmen, respectively, does not yet deal with the subsidy issue.
Republicans are said to favor setting aside $500 million from auction proceeds to pay for a single converter for each household with an income of less than $30,000.
Democrats, with an eye to just how many voters own TVs, are talking about a $3.7 billion pot to help anyone who has to buy a converter for any reason, regardless of household income or number of TV sets.
Does Congress really want to keep Aunt Gladys from her soap operas? Can it afford not to do so?
Stay tuned–if you can.
Ratings game: When networks air shows people want to watch, people will tune in.
CBS, Fox and ABC all had something to brag about at season’s end.
The most watched network overall was CBS, which was also the favorite among viewers age 25 to 54. Fox edged CBS with viewers age 18 to 49, the group advertisers covet most, though CBS likes to point out it would win if the tally excluded special programming such as the Super Bowl
While long-dominant NBC is in “wait till next year” mode, having dropped from first place to fourth with the 18-to-49 demographic, long-dormant ABC surged thanks to rookie hits “Desperate Housewives,” “Lost” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
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Phil Rosenthal’s column appears Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.
philrosenthal@tribune.com
