I remember having discussions with other engineers working in broadcast and giving them my point of view that if TV went all digital, we could free up some of the spectrum used to broadcast "off-air" TV for wireless technologies that would change our world. Now since this was before the World Wide Web, many older engineers thought I was a bit radical and maybe even crazy. But now, the time is close for exactly what we spoke about.

Actually the U.S. government has been attempting to rid the airwaves of analog TV for many years to make the room for public safety responders and for mobile broadband projects with a portion of the vacated spectrum will be set aside for use by emergency broadcasters. Since we will need less of the former TV spectrum when we go all digital the rest is currently being auctioned off by the FCC and is expected to generate between $10 billion and $15 billion to offset the government's deficit.

Companies like Verizon, AT&T (who has a head start), and even Google are eager to take advantage of the spectrum's inherent physical properties, which allow signals to travel farther and penetrate walls (remember much of this spectrum is what you knew as UHF). Freeing up this spectrum will bring in billions in license fees and make way for something that may come closer to a wireless Internet that can compete with our desktops. The open access that Google, and others have pushed for may bring innovation to the wireless space that we have yet to see.

It is not all rosy, the open access rules for a national broadband network on the C-Block of the 700 MHz spectrum will only happen if the reserve price set by the FCC reaches $4.6 billion in the ongoing auction. Even then the rules may be a bit weak and it is to be seen how "open" open actually is. As it looks right now at the time of writing this, the reserve may be met, as today's bidding pushed the potential winning bid to nearly $4.3 billion, just short of the $4.6 billion needed to hit the C-Block’s open-access provision. However, the next round 14, brings the next minimum bid set at just under $4.7 billion.

This auction of course is about the future, as far as what may come of this spectrum and what devices and services that may materialize. But what about what will be soon the past? What do you need to know about the change in the way TV will be broadcast? How will it affect you as a TV viewer? Will you need a new TV? Are all getting HDTV?

As I said, it is not at all panic time. Only a small minority of the U.S. population, who still get their TV "over the air" using rabbit-ear antennas or house mounted masts may have to make some adjustments. Broadcasters have already begun airing public service announcements to educate the public on the change with the government applying pressure to increase their awareness campaigns so TV viewing isn't interrupted.

Here is the Lowdown on the loss of Analog TV If your TV is connected to a cable or satellite set top box (STB), and this of course includes Verizon FiOS and AT&T, you will not even notice the change as the set top box (STB) will work the same way as before making the digital conversion for you. Same for anyone receiving IPTV services.

If your cable TV provider does not use a set-top box and the cable plugs directly into your older analog TV, you should check with your cable provider. You may have to get a STB from the provider, a new TV or a converter box.

Off Air Signals If you get your TV from an "over-the-air" tuner, either built-in or external and have no intention of ever subscribing to cable or satellite service you may be affected by the switch if you do not have the proper TV tuner. After analog TV goes away you will need a digital tuner sometimes called a "Digital ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) TV tuner" to receive "off-air" TV broadcasts.

If your TV is relatively new it may already include a digital tuner. As of March 1, 2007, nearly all new televisions should have included a built-in digital tuner. Most all high definition TVs (HDTV) or "flat-screens" will have a digital tuner built-in. Check your owner's manual or TV manufacturer's website to see if it includes either an integrated HDTV tuner or an ATSC tuner.

The FCC has adopted a rule requiring sellers to display the following if they are selling TV equipment with only an analog broadcast tuner: Consumer Alert This television receiver has only an analog broadcast tuner and will require a converter box after February 17, 2009, to receive over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna because of the Nation’s transition to digital broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should continue to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products. For more information, call the Federal Communications Commission at 1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322) or visit the Commission’s digital television website at: www.dtv.gov

TVs labelled “Digital Monitor," “Digital-ready," "HD-ready" or "HDTV monitor," do not have a built-in ATSC tuner. The "ready" as many consumers have learned usually means "missing" and you must "buy" sometime to get that feature. If your television set is labeled as “analog” or “NTSC,” and is NOT labeled as containing a digital tuner, it contains an analog tuner only.

If you have an older TV and receive broadcast TV "over the air" from an antenna you will be one of the small minority that is affected by the change to digital only broadcast. You will need to upgrade your TV or add a digital tuner. The most economical solution may be to buy an external digital-to-analog converter box, which contains the required digital tuner with an analog output that will let older TVs receive digital transmissions. Since January 1, the federal government has been offering households two $40 vouchers to defray the cost of designated devices, which cost $50 to $70.

If your TV was purchased before 1998, when some TV manufacturers first began offering integrated digital tuners, in a limited quantity, you more than likely need one of these converter boxes. TVs equipped with digital tuners in larger quantities really began shipping in 2004. But luckily, your government may be able to help a bit.

The government will be issuing $80 in vouchers regardless of how much money you make or even whether your household relies on free, "over-the-air" TV. You will be eligible to apply via phone, Web, fax or the U.S. Post Office for the vouchers during a first phase, in which 22.5 million coupons are expected to be available. The last day to make such requests is scheduled to be March 31, 2009. Coupons are set to expire three months after being issued.

Don't get too excited you the pay taxes and there will be limits to what these vouchers can be used to purchase. The equipment eligible is limited in range as the vouchers can not be used toward devices that contain digital video-recording capabilities or DVD players. The coupons may only be used for converter boxes certified for use by National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The NTIA has certified more than 100 consumer electronics retailers including Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, RadioShack, Sam's Club, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart. A PDF with a full list of retailers can be found on their website. After the first group of vouchers run out, Congress would have to authorize funding for more to be issued. More information on these vouchers see the NTIA website.

Digital television sets are “backward compatible,” meaning existing analog equipment such as VCRs, DVD players, camcorders and video games will work on digital TV sets. However, only in the maximum resolution that is available with each analog product.

Portable, battery-powered "analog" TVs may be able to receive over-the-air programming after February 17, 2009 if they have the necessary plugs to allow them to be connected to a digital-to-analog converter box. Because it is not anticipated that battery powered digital-to-analog converter boxes will be available, an external power source would also be required making them less portable.

Do you need a new antenna? In general, dependable reception of over-the-air digital TV programming will require the same type of signal reception equipment that currently works to provide good quality reception of analog TV programming. If you need a roof-top antenna to receive analog TV broadcasts, the same antenna generally will work to receive digital TV broadcasts. You should not have to purchase new antennas that are marketed as “digital ready” or “HD ready.”

Digital TV (DTV) vs High Definition (HDTV) Now that all TV broadcasted in the U.S> will be digital (DTV) you may wonder if this means it is high definition (HDTV)? Well no, it is not. DTV is not necessarily HDTV, it can be standard definition or high definition or something in-between. Although DTV usually has a clearer, cleaner picture quality and better audio, than analog broadcasts.

Digital television Quality Levels There are many quality levels of digital television programming. The most common are: Standard Definition TV (SDTV) - SDTV is the basic level of quality display and resolution for both analog and digital. Transmission of SDTV may be in either the traditional (4:3) or widescreen (16:9) format. Enhanced Definition TV (EDTV) - EDTV is a step up from Analog Television. EDTV comes in 480p widescreen (16:9) or traditional (4:3) format and provides better picture quality than SDTV, but not as high as HDTV. High Definition TV (HDTV) - HDTV in widescreen format (16:9) provides the highest resolution and picture quality of all digital broadcast formats. Combined with digitally enhanced sound technology, HDTV sets new standards for sound and picture quality in television. (Note: HDTV and digital TV are not the same thing -- HDTV is one format of digital TV.) HDTV is usually broadcast at 720P or 1080i. The "P" stands for "progressive" scan and the "i" stands for "interlace." Even though higher-end HDTVs are capable in 1080P, you can usually only get that resolution from Blu-ray or HD-DVD players now-a-days. In my opinion a 1080P HDTV is well worth it if it is larger than 40 inches and you have content to display on it. Although, the price of these HDTVs is dropping and soon most all HDTVs will probably be 1080P capable.

DTV gives broadcasters the ability to "multicast" various channels at the same time allowing for example - weather on one channel, a sitcom on another, and news on a third. DTV also features Data streaming and interactive capabilities in its spec.

Multicasting: The option to multicast was made possible by digital technology to allow each digital broadcast station to split its bit stream into 2, 3, 4 or more individual channels of programming and/or data services. (For example, on channel 7, you could watch 7-1, 7-2, 7-3 or 7-4.)

Remember, this switch is about "broadcast" TV, which includes "over-the-air" TV reception on the "public" airwares, not cable networks. Cable TV networks, like CNN, MSNBC, Lifetime, etc., are not required to switch to digital broadcasting. However, as cable providers convert to digital transmissions over their systems, you may need to subscribe to their digital tier to continue to receive this non-broadcast programming. Local stations may continue to be available in analog format for as long as your cable system offers analog service. All of the major cable providers have or are in the process of switching to digital with many no longer offering analog service. As long as you are using a cable provided STB you will not need a new TV.

Because most broadcast stations in all U.S. television markets are already broadcasting in digital, consumers can watch DTV today. According to the National Association of Broadcasters, more than 1,600 television stations already offer digital-broadcasting streams. Many local channels form the networks have been broadcasting in HD for sometime. The actuality is that the HD broadcast is many times better than what cable provides as they compress their HD content to save bandwidth.

I hope this gives you a better picture of what to expect in the switch to DTV.

Comcast does not, has not, and will not block any Web sites or online applications, including peer-to-peer services, and no one has demonstrated otherwise. We engage in reasonable network management to provide all of our customers with a good Internet experience, and we do so consistently with FCC policy. As the FCC noted in its policy statement in 2005, all of the principles to encourage broadband deployment and preserve the nature of the Internet are 'subject to reasonable network management.' The Commission clearly recognized that network management is necessary by ISPs for the good of all customers.

Comcast, the number two provider of high-speed Internet access, has been secretly degrading peer-to-peer protocols. Degrading these protocols undermines innovation and violates the FCC’s Internet Policy Statement, whose four principles guarantee consumers access to the content, applications, and services of their choice, as well as access to competition among network, applications, and content providers.