The New Digital Television Rip-off

As many of you who follow my blog know, my family has a cottage in New Hampshire and we and many other people are going to lose free TV reception. A power grab by the telecom companies at our expense is going to cause millions of people to lose free TV. They will have to either get cable or a dish or not be able to receive any television.
Why?
Because they are in rural areas where there is no coverage. I went to the official government web site to find what channels are available for our cottage in New Hampshire and I found out that there were not any channels listed. I enter our address and I got this message “There are no stations predicted to serve this location.” GREAT. The nearest cable is ten miles away! That leaves us with the only option to get a satellite dish. We will now have to pay for something that we were getting for free.
Here is what one web site had to say about the transition…

Digital TV Time Bomb--Hiding the Whole Picture from the American Public.
There's a deep, dark secret that no one is talking about. On February 17, 2009, the country's estimated 13 million over-the-air TV viewers will no longer receive the current analog picture because stations across the country will convert their signal to digital. Consumers who have a regular, working television that is not connected to a satellite or cable company, ---i.e.; free TV, will have to go out and get a converter box that can change the over-the-air signals to the newer digital format.
…
"According to the Consumer Electronics Association, there are currently about 13.5 million analog OTA [Over The Air] households in the United States. Non-English speaking/minority, rural/tribal, senior, disabled and low-income populations represent, on average, a higher proportion of OTA households."
…
Finally, if you are now getting just an OK signal now with 'some snow' - you will now get pixilations, drop-outs in sound quality, or just a blank screen - making some channels unwatchable.

Here is what the telecommunication companies had to say…

TO: SPIRIT Team, Government Affairs Committee and State Association Executives
FROM: _______ ______, NTCA PAC and Grassroots Coordinator
SUBJECT: ACTION ALERT - Rapid Conclusion of DTV & 700 MHz Spectrum For Wireless Broadband Services

We urge you to immediately contact your members of Congress, both House and Senate, to request that they support legislation that will ensure the rapid conclusion of the transition to digital television (DTV) and the freeing of 700 MHz spectrum for wireless broadband services.

This high quality spectrum is vital to providing rural consumers widespread access to affordable broadband alternatives and all the economic and public interest benefits that they bring.

Remember, that it is best to e-mail or fax your communications to your congressional contacts, as the restrictions on mail coming into the Capitol complex will delay delivery.

At this time, no specific bill number needs to be referred to in the letter.

Thanks for your prompt action, and please let us know of your actions and any responses you receive!

If you have any questions regarding this action please contact government affairs at --@----.org
…
Broadband access is essential to economic development in rural communities in the United States. The hundreds of locally owned telecommunications providers, who serve millions of customers across rural America, have taken a leading role in providing service to high-cost rural areas that otherwise would lack service provider alternatives. Broadband services deployed over wireless spectrum can often be a desirable solution for reaching remote and underserved communities, where cable modem and digital subscriber line (DSL) service alternatives may not be viable options. For this reason, I ask you to support legislation that will ensure the rapid conclusion of the transition to digital television (DTV) and the freeing of 700 MHz spectrum for wireless broadband services.

Translated: we want to screw the people by taking away their free television so that we can sell them wireless internet services.