Once Again Scare Tactics & Misinformation

The tools of the modern Right. The DTV transition delay has been shelved, for now, as the Republicans started talking about  Osama bin Laden, and needed bandwidth to scare the living daylights out of those who are a bit uninformed or timid.

“Osama bin Laden isn’t fictional, and he isn’t waiting,” stated Rep. Joe Barton (R - Texas), in a vehement defense of the February 17 hard date.

The postponement of the US’ digital TV transition to June 12 hit its first serious legislative obstacle yesterday, when Republicans led by the former Energy and Commerce Committee chairman and current ranking member, Joe Barton, debated the DTV Delay bill for the first time on Capitol Hill. Yesterday, Barton and colleague Rep. Cliff Stearns (R - Fla.) began their counter-assault with a letter (PDF available here) to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D - Calif.), urging her to reconsider even bringing the delay bill to the floor for a vote.

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“Our public safety sector has been pleading since 1996 for access to the broadcast spectrum that would be freed up by the DTV transition, and which they need desperately for emergencies like 9/11. Instead, they’ve become like the fictional refugees who got as far as Casablanca in the ’40s, only to ‘wait, and wait, and wait,”‘ the representatives continued. “Osama bin Laden isn’t fictional, and he isn’t waiting. That should be reason enough to go full speed ahead with the DTV transition. Instead we’re suspending the rules in order to wait, and wait, and wait?”

With logic like this, I’m wondering why they did not bring in some other characters (fictional) to go along with the rest of  the fiction. Are they certain that Simon Bar Sinister (late of Underdog fame) and the Dream Police (still pestering Rick and Bun E.) aren’t also on the way?

The tired refrain about needed bandwidth for emergency services is so off the mark, it doesn’t pass the Homer Simpson test. The simple fact is that the bandwidth that was up for sale for this ‘emergency usage’ is still there, with no one to claim it. Perhaps the NSA wishes to use it for domestic surveillance, but that wouldn’t be a correct action anymore would it? After all, we have an administration that obeys and respects the rule of law now. That trampling the inalienable rights stuff is just so 2008.

I bet you are thinking I am championing the delay still aren’t you. Well, you’d be wrong. I now see that no matter what, the DTV system (not simply transition) will be a mess, and I now believe that all the House Republicans who voted to table this should be forced to man the phones on February 18, at their local FCC offices. Yes, that’s the ticket.

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