From: <[email protected]> In the matter of Proposed Rules to Implement a Coupon Program to Subsidy the Purchase of Converter Boxes for Digital Television It is most important that those who receive such a subsidy be able to purchase equipment that decodes digital television and outputs a signal that can be easily connected to their existing televisions. I work in television and possess the technical skills to connect this equipment. But over and over I hear from the public, "How will I get digital television when the analog station is turned off?" And I also hear, "How do I connect this equipment?" And, "How do I tune this channel?" So the point I am making is that the subsidy should apply to boxes that are easily connected and easy to understand. In short, the boxes should come with a channel 3 and channel 4 analog television output just like a traditional video cassette recorder or early DVD player. If the general public cannot connect the new boxes with one cable and one power cord, I fear that we may risk disconnecting a section of society from television, a major source of emergency alert messages. Ken Otto |