Michael's Insight: Get ready America - digital television is coming

Get ready! The mandatory conversion from analog to digital broadcasting in the United States is only nine months away. It may sound like a long time from now, but it really isn't.

Many older, standard TV's do not have digital tuners in them and they won't automatically work after February 17, 2009. But there are things you can do to avoid replacing every TV in the house.

I checked the FCC website where they had a special section on the transition. Believe it or not, someone decided it was a worthwhile exercise to "deputize" regular people so they can be "authorized" communicators on the transition. I took the test to see if I qualified to be a DTV Deputy. Considering, that I have testified before Congress on numerous occasions about the DTV transition on behalf of the cable industry, I was very nervous to find out if I really knew what I was talking about. Well, I passed with flying colors (whew!) and got to download a certificate to prove it. Really! Check it out.

On a more serious note, there's been a lot of concern about making older analog TV's continue to work after February 17, 2009. The government developed a coupon program for people who receive their signals with an antenna so they can get a credit towards the purchase of a digital converter to keep their TV working.

But there may be an easier answer.

If your TV is hooked up to cable, relax. You don't have to do anything to keep that TV working after the transition. Cable operators have been preparing for the transition for a long time and we committed long ago to continue to deliver the television signals that our customers are accustomed to receiving after the transition.

But that's not the whole story. You may be a cable customer while, at the same time, some of your TV's may not hooked up to cable. If that's the case (as it is in many of our customers' homes) you might want to consider calling us and having us hook up your additional TV's. Secondary connections in the same household can cost as little as zero per month (after paying a very low installation fee), depending on what services you choose to receive on them. That way, you don't have to worry about a thing. When you wake up on February 17th you'll still be able to watch your favorite morning shows.

Check out Insight's website for more information.