Gary Shapiro: "Let them Eat Cake". (No, Gary, you can eat ME!)

[BiggJawn]

http://www.tvtechnology.com/dailynews/one.php?id=2952

Gary Shapiro leaves the impression that he was once forced to play the role of human antenna by wearing aluminum foil rabbit ears while balancing on a hassock. The chief of the Consumer Electronics Association delivered multiple messages this week about households that rely exclusively on over-the-air TV signals, the theme of which was more or less, "let them eat cake."

In this particular case, cake signifies cable. In a letter dated May 11 to House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton, Shapiro argued for a hard analog shut-off date on the premise that so few people rely on OTA signals.

"...if the cut off occurred today, less than 13 percent of the population of 110 million TV households would not have access to a broadcast signal through cable or satellite," he wrote. "Though they could certainly start subscribing."

The National Association of Broadcasters responded: (in part)

"Perhaps CEA believes people who rely solely on over-the-air television reception are not important," he said. "If so, CEA should tell that to parents of more than 200 kidnapped children who have been rescued by Amber Alerts, an initiative launched by free, over-the-air broadcasters. Or CEA should tell that to victims of last year's Florida hurricane victims-- weather alerts from local television stations with saving their lives."


I'm in one of those "less than 13%" households. I use OTA (over the air) Teeeeee-Veeeee to get the morning news and weather only, 5 days a week. 25 hours of TV viewing a month, and for that, Mr. shapiro thinks it'd be OK for me to pay $46 for that? A buck-eighty-four an HOUR for TEEEEEE-VEEEEE????

Up Yours, Shapiro, but I suppose you make as much in your high-powered CEA gig in a month as I scratch up in a year of fixing these damn VCR's, so you don't see the Stupid Hose as an expense....

[Ganja Ninja]

1. I would sooner spend my money on DVD's than cable. n/t

[jilln]

2. In Texas...

there is apparently a bill that would make serving poorer areas OPTIONAL for cable companies, and would limit the number of public access stations in cities. Dallas would be reduced from 15 such stations to 3 OR LESS, with funding cut...

The commercials against this I've seen say that SBC is behind it.