Television has been around since the 1930s, and back then, the only channels you received came over the air to your antenna. Now we have cable and satellite providers, but these technologies are still out of reach or out of budget for many Americans. This means that, in early 2009, when the broadcasters stop sending out analog signals and send only digital, many Americans are going to be without TV. There is hope for most of these people though, if they decide to take advantage of new technology designed to allow them to keep their old TV set. Viewers can simply purchase a converter box and Digital Antenna in order to receive broadcast channels over the air. The analog to digital switch only affects antenna users, and paying cable and satellite users will not need to purchase the new gear.

The US congress has even issued coupons to help subsidize the cost of upgrading. According to some sources, such as the Going Digital Blog, a large number of Americans allow the coupons to expire before they are used. Americans don’t seem to be taking the switch seriously yet, but I imagine there will be some commotion once the switch actually occurs.