I realize the majority of people in this country will have had no problem with the switch to digital TV... Probably most of you are cable or satellite subscribers already, and some of you who live near a big city, may have more free channels than ever. It can be a HUGE problem though, for people in rural areas.

I'm part of the minority that has always relied on an antenna, instead of cable or satellite, feeling that my dollars could be better spent on other things than extra channels. I actually received about 11 analog channels here with the antenna. The major networks, at least, were clear almost all the time... the rest had varying degrees of snow and interference, but we could still watch them.

I DO have a digital TV that would be capable of receiving digital signals (if we were in a city). I DO have a good antenna that worked fine for analog (both VHF and UHF)... but I am too far north to receive the new digital signals from all the television stations in Los Angeles. So, by the end of the night, I will receive NO TV AT ALL... except by hooking my TV to the computer and watching Hulu, etc. If I understand what I have read correctly,the main problem seems to be that analog signals bounce over long distances better, and most of the existing equipment that has relayed analog stations to rural areas, around mountains, etc was not fully funded for the transition from analog to digital. So, those of us in rural areas who have chosen over-the-air television instead of cable and satellite for all these years, are up a creek without a paddle... I will get by with the internet, until they do something about it... I really don't want to be forced into paying monthly fees for cable or satellite... Many of my neighbors are senior citizens, or people on fixed incomes, who normally get their information about disasters like brushfires or flooding from television... I wonder how many of them, throughout my county, will simply never be able to afford to switch to cable or satellite. I just hope that they eventually fix the situation, so that at least basic, live television news is available free to all citizens who had it before the digital transition. Until then, a huge thank you to services like Hulu that at least allow us to watch free re-broadcasts of some shows... even if we have to wait a day or so.