The government has extended the date requiring all broadcast television stations to switch from an analog to a digital TV signal to June 12, 2009. In some areas, stations have already made the switch, and others will be changing over to digital between April 16 and June 12.

With Digital TV also called DTV, you get more channels as well as better picture and sound. And DTV increases the capacity for more emergency service channels for first-respondents like the police and fire departments.

So, by June 12, 2009 local TV stations will have switched from the old analog technology to the new digital system. That means analog TV sets, TV sets without a digital tuner, must be connected to a service such as cable or outfitted with a special digital-to-analog converter in order for you to continue to keep watching local TV channels.

At Mediacom, we want to help make the digital transition as easy as possible. Here are some ways to prepare for the digital transition:

Mediacom customers, relax, we're taking care of the transition for you.

Over the past five years, Mediacom has spent over 1 billion dollars to build out our fiber optic infrastructure to bring our customers the best digital services. So, in most cases, your local Mediacom cable system is digital ready right now. With this technology, we are prepared to automatically deliver broadcast stations in digital format to any of our customer's TV sets that are hooked up to cable, just like the government is requiring, starting June 12, 2009.

If you want, you can purchase a digital converter for your analog TV sets.

If you want to continue to use older analog TV sets that do not have built-in digital tuners that are not connected to a digital service or cable, you can simply purchase a digital-to-analog converter to connect between your antenna and your TV from a local retailer. The federal government wants to help you pay for them. You can apply for up to two vouchers that offer a significant discount off the price of the converters. For more information on the converter coupon program, go to www.DTV.gov, or call, toll-free, 1-888-DTV-2009.

Or if you prefer, you can subscribe to Mediacom and we'll help make the digital transition affordable and hassle free.