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NEWS RELEASE

December 2, 2008

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County Cable Advisory Committee to Hold Community Digital Transition Forum

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – The Howard County Cable Advisory Committee invites residents to a community forum about the 2009 Digital Transition on Wednesday, December 10 at 7 p.m. at the Kiwanis-Wallas Recreation Center, 3300 Norbert’s Way in Ellicott City. Residents will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the upcoming digital transition taking place on February 17, 2009. Representatives from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will also be available to answer questions and demonstrate how to connect one’s converter box to their current TV.

On February 17, all broadcast television stations in the United States will transition from an analog broadcast to a digital broadcast. This will impact any television that is not directly connected to cable or satellite television. Digital broadcasting will allow stations to offer improved picture and sound quality, as well as additional channels.

Residents that utilize rabbit ears on any of their television sets or rely solely on a rooftop or other antenna device must either:

• Purchase a digital converter box and hook it up to their analog television and existing antenna or rabbit ears; or
• Purchase a new digital television set; or
• Become a cable subscriber in order to receive a digital signal.

Residents, who decide to purchase a digital converter box, may apply to the federal government for two coupons, worth $40 each, which can be used toward the purchase of eligible Digital-to-Analog Converter Boxes sold at consumer electronics retailers. For more information on the digital transition and the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program, including the coupon application form and list of converter boxes and retailers, please visit www.dtv2009.gov, or call 1-888-388-2009 or 1-877-530-2634 (TTY).

Current cable subscribers will continue to receive a signal once the transition occurs as long as every television in the house is connected to the cable service. Cable subscribers should direct individual questions to either Comcast at 410-461-1156 or Verizon at 1-888-553-1555.