Dear Dr. FCC: I am hearing alarming reports that at some point in the next 500 days or so a whole bunch of TV sets are going to go dark because of the "DTV transition." I love my TV set so much. Why would anyone want to do this to us?

Clarence

Dear Clarence:

Please don't worry. No one wants to take your television set away from you, least of all the Bush administration. Here are the facts.

The United States government has set February 17th, 2009 as the last day that television stations may broadcast their signal using the analog method. Analog systems use radio frequencies to transmit sound and pictures. Digital systems transmit TV signals, well, via digits, complex packets of zeros and ones that get reassembled into video and audio when they reach your television set.

Everybody gets something from digital or "DTV" broadcasting. You'll get better images and sound, with much less interference. Plus DTV transmission will allow TV license holders to broadcast several streams from one signal, a technique called "multicasting." This means that you will have even more channels to choose from, depending on the extent to which cable and satellite companies pick them all up, still a matter of dispute.

Alphonse asks:

Dear Dr. FCC: The other day I was giving a report in my high school class trying to explain why net neutrality is so important, and, like, somebody asked me for a definition of net neutrality, and, like, I couldn't explain it, but I said I'd ask you.

So, like, what is net neutrality anyway?

Dear Alphonse:

The hell if I know, kid. Let's, like, ask the experts.

From About.com:

"Net neutrality refers to the way information is transmitted on the internet. With a neutral internet set up, internet service providers and search engines merely send you the information or the website for which are looking. ISPs are hoping to replace this neutral system with a fee based system in which websites would be pay a fee to the ISP for the service, and the sites that pay the highest fees would be prioritized . . . "

From Common Cause:

"Network neutrality is the principle that Internet users should be able to access any web content they choose and use any applications they choose, without restrictions or limitations imposed by their Internet service provider."

Julie writes:

Dear Dr. FCC:
I want to file a public comment with the Federal Communications Commission on an issue that is really important to me. But I don't want to use those auto Web forms that some advocacy groups provide. I'd rather comment on my own.

The problem is that I went to the FCC's Web site and it's totally confusing. Why do they make it so confusing? Can you help?

Julie