By Luke Anderson
I’m not yet a parent, but there are a few things that I’ve learned about human behavior that makes me thing that I’ll do alright. One major thing that I’ve observed is that if you tell a child that a specific action will result in a punishment, you’d better keep your word. Otherwise they will eventually learn that you are simply making empty threats, and that they can go on doing whatever they please without consequence. Believe it or not, the same thing applies with adults. If you tell them that their TV will stop working after February 17th unless they get a new TV or a converter, don’t go extending that deadline.
It appears that my words are too late, as those who have either been living under a rock, or just didn’t bother to get with the program are getting a four month reprieve. The senate has decided to postpone the digital TV transition until June 12th. They’ve been talking about this switch for years now, and I’ve been hearing about the coupon program on the very stations that will be lost for months. If you decided to wait until January to pick up a coupon (or let the one you received expire as many people have), then I have little sympathy for you. Sure, if you’ve genuinely been trying to get one for months but have run into issues, then I understand. The word is that there are currently 20 million Americans who are unprepared for the switch. If the number were down to 15 million by June I’d be shocked.
VIA [ Reuters ]
