TV Tax Paid by Big-Box Blitzers and Small-Business Supporters

[Commentary] Americans are paying too much for their televisions. As often happens, the extra cost is due to outdated mandates imposed by the federal government. Several years ago, an international standards body called the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) settled on a technical standard for digital over-the-air broadcasts. The Federal Communications Commission requires television manufacturers to include a digital TV tuner with a specific collection of technical protocols that display digital TV signals sent via antenna or cable box. This requirement ends up costing about five dollars extra for every set sold. Of course, the added cost of the ATSC mandate is felt by those who are buying TVs for reasons other than programming. Small businesses -- and therefore many female-owned businesses -- likely bear this burden disproportionately, because they are growing faster than the national average. The reality is that many smaller businesses never use televisions to receive digital broadcasting. Rather, they use TVs for a variety of displays and closed-circuit content. So these businesses are paying for multiple licenses they will never use.

[Kasoff is President and Co-Founder of the Women Impacting Public Policy]