Engadget reported that the House did not reach enough votes to pass the bill that was approved by the Senate. Personally, I think this is fantastic. Obama wanted to delay this originally. It shows that there is some sense between the Congress and President Obama. By some, I mean the 168 who voted negative in the House.
"But Peter!!! What about the poor people who can't afford to get a converter box?" My response: they're shit out of luck. The money that was handed out originally was a dumb idea, and it's still a dumb idea after they ran out of money. We're not talking about power, water, food supply, etc. We're talking about catching up on Heroes before the season starts back up. Not worth using tax dollars to help anyone. I stand corrected, the money doesn't come from taxes. I still think it could have gone to better use. Like highways, debt, bigger guns, etc.
And if we're so concerned about the economy, wouldn't it make sense to keep the transition date and force people to upgrade? How about this for a sales pitch? "You can buy this converter box which is sooo clunky, or you can buy this new HDTV!!!"