Guest blogger Darryl Smith of the University of Western Florida responds intelligently to my satiric blog post about the FCC reviewing buggy-whip rules:
I think broadcast TV will be with us for a number of years. While there are always concerns that newer technologies will make heritage technologies obsolete, the heritage technologies seem to evolve to maintain their existence and relevance.
Dead tree newspapers are indeed a dying industry. Newspapers will evolve to take advantage of new technologies such as digital paper, e-readers, etc. The industry will remain the same with only a change in the method of distribution and frequency of content delivery.
Over the air TV will have a longer run to obsolescence. Given the current economy, a lot of people are reducing their discretionary spending on cable and satellite services. They are able to receive high definition programming over the air via antenna. Some that maintain subscription based services, still receive over the air signals for high definition programming simply because of quality issues. The over the air signal looks better due to the amount of compression used by cable and satellite systems.
Residents of areas prone to weather emergencies such as hurricanes will maintain antennas for reception of TV signals. During these periods, power is often restored long before cable service.
Over the air broadcast is essential for the safety and security of the country as well as to ensure that all Americans, no matter what their economic circumstances, have access to news, information and entertainment.
While not as prevalent, buggy whips are still needed and used for varied purposes.
