The local cable television company is allowing for extra time and extra people to be working over the next few days in anticipation of "the big switch."
Friday is the day that all television stations still broadcasting an analog signal will switch to digital systems.
This means that everyone who still receives their television signal through the airways, via an antenna or "rabbit ears" will have to have a converter box to change the digital signal to one that can be seen on an analog television.
The deadline was originally set for Feb. 17 this year, but that was delayed when money to help fund the purchase of the special converter boxes was depleted.
The United States government had offered consumers coupons for $40 off the cost of converter boxes, leaving the converters available for as little as $10.
According to a story by the Associated Press' technical writers, more than 3 million households in the county are still not ready for the big switch.
That's why Ritter Communications, the local cable television provider, is planning on having more technicians available to get cable hook-ups in homes by Friday, said Jane Marie Woodruff, marketing director for Ritter.
"We have allowed for extra time for installations," she said. "We also have extra people on hand for the volume of calls we think we'll be receiving."
Households that currently have cable or satellite service won't need a converter box. The cable or satellite company is already converting those images for you.
The Federal Communications Commission has given stations freedom to decide what time of day they will be shutting down analog. Many have opted to do it in the evening, meaning the full impact will not be felt until Saturday, according to the Associated Press story.
Local providers will have a long day Friday, getting all those outlets switched at their headquarters. It is sure to keep Ritter engineers busy.
"As each broadcaster switches, our engineers will have to switch over (their signals) at our head-in" or main location, Woodruff said.
Although the switch may be painful now, in the future, it will be better, according to the AP story.
Because digital signals are more efficient than the analog TV broadcasts that have been on the air for six decades, the transition will make room in the airwaves for wireless Internet and emergency communications services.
There will not be another delay in the switch, said Michael Copps, acting FCC chairman.
"We were nowhere near ready for a nationwide transition in February. Had we flipped the switch back then, we would have faced a debacle that would have made New Coke look like a stroke of marketing genius," Copps said.
"The good news is that we're in considerably better shape now than we were four months ago."
dhilton@blythevillecourier.com