The Mexican government is giving away 10 million new televisions to help the country transition to digital TV. The giveaway seeks to offset the problem of the digital divide — where the poor are left behind without the same modern tech resources available to the majority.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto — in a move that savvy politicians around the world silently, if knowingly applaud — has timed the giveaway to coincide with midterm elections in Mexico. (American President George W. Bush once timed his large tax cut refunds to be sent to Americans just before an election.) Mexicans will get a free flatscreen digital TV, or the promise of one, on their way to the polls. President Peña Nieto’s PRI party hopes the midterms (and the TVs?) will solidify its ruling position, which it regained in 2012. Mexicans will watch the election results in brilliant, densely pixilated color.
