The Digital TV conversion

The Digital TV Conversion, is it a boondoggle of major proportion?

This is from PC Magazine website.
"Demand for digital TV converter box coupons is up, and while that signals an increased awareness of the impending DTV conversion, the surge might require an additional $330 million in government funds, according to the Commerce Department.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is housed within Commerce, projects that it will receive 6.5 million requests for DTV converter box coupons in December – a significant jump from previous months.

With this increase cost of 330 Million over the already allocated $1.34 billion to cover the cost of the coupons, plus $160 million for administrative costs that Congress has already spent. "

This is the public money. Now we have old tv's headed to the landfill or recyclers to be recycled? or at least disposed of properly.

The original idea of the change was to free up the telecommunication band that the current TV signals are on. There is a planned auction of these airwaves for increasing bandwidth for WIFI Access. With the current economy it is now predicted those auctions will be will be a bust.

The roll out of new HDTV's were not a real help to the US Economy. As we have seen many retailers deep discounting HDTV's and some Electronic chains on the throats of bankruptcy.

Do we need additional airwave space for our Blackberries and other portable computing and telecommunication devices, sure we do as we become more mobile. But what is the true cost. An additional $330 Million is chickenfeed when we do not even notice a headline unless it is is Billions and Billions of Dollars.

How could the government have been 30% wrong in their estimates of converter needs?

How has American industry benefited from this large outlay of funds. Labor for the infrastructure, some retail, and the rest is with the major telecommunication companies. The majority of the equipment is produced in foreign countries and imported. Making our Balance of trade at a bigger deficit. Why can not Congress pass legislation that will help the U.S,

Lets see what the new Administration will do as it creates stimulus projects.