Watching TV is not a God-given right — but use of the airwaves is a Public Domain. Governments have the responsibility to protect Public rights to use it — just like seashores, parks, etc.

When radio wave signals were first broadcast, they were experimental. As their use became widespread, laws and rules were developed to secure use, with minimum cross-interference, of many uses and users. This included assigning certain spectrums to particular uses.

Broadcast AM and FM radio, and TV were assigned selected spectrums. They became popular resources, available free to the Public, sponsored variously by advertisement contributions, as well as by government bodies in support of the Public’s interests.

In the ’60s, color TV became available.
Viewers did not have to buy color TVs.
They could still watch the same programs in black and white.
Initially, color images were not as sharp as the BW ones.

Competitive market forces supported technical improvements and enriched (or sometimes just broadened) the broadcasts.
The prices went down in the basic markets. Luxury market price ranges grew as well, providing a strong basis for further improvement — much of which, driven by market forces, enhanced the quality of the media in general.

—- Everybody won!! Despite inherent risks, freedom won.
{ Some advocates of back-to-nature and restrictive religious issues, were finding greater competition.
But, even for them, it was a issue of choice. }

In the past few decades, the paradigm of public power changed. — The government became more responsible for safeguarding the interests and liberties of the wealthy, especially in regard to their prey, the Public.

It seems to have had a curious, Through-the-Looking-Glass, result: Even before the Middle-Class and Poor had been completely foxed out of their resources, the wealthy were preying on each other. As the most wealthy increased their share of the national wealth, there were fewer of them — their former peers having lost their wealth, becoming persona non-gratis.

The rape of the Public interest in the RW spectrum has followed the latter paradigm: The Public was not protected or defended when wealthy interests wanted big bites of the broadcast spectrums.

With just a few years notice, without a break-in period for public acclamation and acceptance, without even options for already-licensed broadcasters, the U.S. Government took away a valuable, widely-used resource — that had been available for free use — for most of most lifetimes.

As a sop to those who wanted what they had, the Government ungraciously provided for a limited number of coupons, effective over limited time periods — not even administering that program effectively.

The coupons, many of which were not provided until after they had expired, give $40 discounts for purchase of up to two converter boxes per home. — Discounts for devices that supposedly would make up for deprivation (I would call it theft by corrupt legislation and fiat), that did not even cover the full cost of even the most modest of the devices.

But that is not all!!
This conversion does not only harm the poor.

If the converter boxes were FREE and FULL-FEATURED replacements or adaptations for lost functionality, including programmable-scheduling for tuner channel changes (as well as GREEN features such as programmable ON/OFF times), then they might be worth the bother that the Conversion is causing.

Popular on-the-market technologies such as VCRs and DVRs, used to time-shift or collect broadcast programs [legally, for personal use], are no longer effective for common uses.

Converter boxes that I’ve seen in stores only have limited-function tuners. They cannot be triggered by programming scheduled in the recorders. Nor do they even have schedule-programming features that MIGHT be synchronized with the recorders.

In other words, you can only change your channel in person. If recording for subsequent viewing — while away at work, at some evening activity, or on vacation — you will only be able to record from a single channel.
Even if you are home, you will not be able to program your DVR to tune to and record while you are watching another broadcast item.

No it is not a God-given right.
It is a Public Right regarding a valuable Common Resource, like the seas, the wilderness, the air.

It is the responsibility of Governments to protect those rights of the Public — i.e. Government by the People, of the People, and for the People.

Even though literacy no longer seems to be valued — judging by often sloppy, sometimes incomprehensible comments here and in other blogs — you might have heard of that concept. Those words were spoken by Abe Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address.

Another concept, elaborated in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, designed into the U.S. Constitution and its Ammendments: it is the responsibility of the People, the Public, to hold that Government to that.