In a little over a year, if you want to watch television, you may need to make an equipment switch.

Feb. 17, 2009, will mark the date when the digital switch is made.

Associate communications professor Robert Brookey said the change will affect only a certain type of television watchers.

“People that still watch broadcast television will be the ones that this change will concern - the people that have to watch their TVs with rabbit ears,” he said.

Those who watch broadcast television will have to buy a converter box that will allow them to receive the channels they are getting now.

The government is currently offering a coupon program to help compensate for buying the converter box.

This coupon will cut the price of the box by $40.

However, converter boxes are not available in retailer stores yet, but will be soon.

As far as all other television watchers are concerned, they will not have to worry about the change.

“People that get digital cable and even those who have analog cable won’t be affected by this,” Brookey said.

Brookey said the reason these changes are being made is to get rid of older technology that has been around for several decades.

“This change is happening because television networks are trying to eliminate the older technology altogether,” he said.

For more information about the coupon program for television converters, go to www.dtv2009.gov

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