Assuming that everything goes as planned analog TV will be a thing of the past in less than a year.  2009 is the year that analog broadcasts will be switched off and that analog TVs without digital conversion boxes will become obsolete.  That is not far away at all, so you would think that the ethical thing for retailers to do would be to either stop selling them or to inform their customers of the planned obsolescence.  Funnily enough, the FCC thought so too and hit retailers that failed to properly inform their customers with combined fines totaling $3.9 million dollars.  There were some notable names among the retailers that were disciplined, including: Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City and Sears.

If you ask me, considering the depths of the pockets involved, $3.9 million is not nearly enough.  Still, it brings some public awareness to what many consider to be a dubious practice.  If nothing else, it should put a stop to it; too bad for all the people that bought cheap televisions without knowing all the facts.

Source: Electronic House 

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