Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 | 2:05 a.m.
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Nikolas Skalkotos blames corporate America for the upcoming transition to digital TV (Las Vegas Sun, Sept. 11). However, Mr. Skalkotos is misinformed. The broadcast industry is being forced to convert to digital broadcasting by the federal government.
The feds coveted the spectrum used by broadcasters and discovered that by having all television broadcasters convert to digital transmission, they could squeeze more channels into less of the spectrum and then auction off what’s left to the highest bidder, a practice that started during the Clinton administration.
Broadcasters have to spend millions of dollars to make the conversion. Many of them, especially in small towns, can’t afford this unfunded government mandate.
If Mr. Skalkotos is upset about having to spend $500 for a new digital TV, he should take up the issue with his elected representatives. Blame corporate America all you want, but this issue, like so many other problems that plague this country, lies squarely on the shoulders of our out-of-control Congress.
One final note — if you want to keep watching your old TV, it will not be, as some assume, obsolete. If you have cable or a satellite service (DirecTV or Dish Network), your existing TV will continue working just fine.
The writer, president of Contemporary Communications, is owner of small-town radio (Mississippi) and television (American Samoa) stations.
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