After reading the article about emergency television sets in last week’s paper, my interest piqued about the digital transition fiasco coming next year. I never thought I’d see the day when our government (aka: Federal Communications Commission) would have the power to change all of our television broadcasts to digital. This might seem harmless and a great idea but in doing so, all analog television sets will be deemed useless.

What started as a way for our nation to receive news and entertainment is now being turned into a government controlled environment. After Feb. 17, 2009 all full-power television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100 percent digital broadcasting. According to the website www.dtv.gov, “digital broadcasting provides a clearer picture and more channels and will free up airwaves for use by emergency responders.”

This is your government working to make a clearer picture with more channels to choose from but if you don’t receive cable or belong to a satellite company you are out of luck. There will be no signal on your television set unless you purchase an authorized converter box which will cost somewhere between $40 and $70.

That sounds very suspicious. We are being forced to either get cable, a satellite dish or buy a converter box to watch television. Personally, I don’t watch much television myself, but every so often I like to turn the news on or let my children watch cartoons on Saturday morning. What about all those who are on a fixed income who don’t’ want to buy a new digital TV, nor do they want cable or a satellite dish. There are opportunities to apply for two coupons from the above website which would allow the converter box to be bought for practically nothing.

It still seems a bit suspicious comparing this to the likes of Europe and Middle Eastern countries controlling what television gets broadcast. It might seem a bit paranoid but the old story about boiling a frog rings true here. If you want to boil a frog then put him in a pot of cold water and turn up the heat until it’s too late for the frog to jump out. For us, we have just been put into a pot of cold water and the heat about to be turned on. What happens next? Can’t we choose whether we want digital or analog? Can’t the FCC let us make our own choice whether we want to switch over? Apparently not because we are being forced to do this whether we want to or not, all in the name of better technology.

So if you are without cable or a satellite dish, enjoy watching television for free while you can. Thanks to your government, we are going to have to pay for television in one way or another.

Loxley resident Valerie J. Steimle is the author of two books, “Home Is Where The Heart Is, A look at strengthening the American Family,” and her latest book, “Home Is Where The Learning Is” (www.amazon.com/gp/product/1403379637). Contact her at valeriesteimle@yahoo.com or visit her website at www.stengthenyourhome.com.