Note: it looks like Comcast may have more channel slamming planned for the future, hopefully they will leave PEG channels alone after their spanking in Michigan .

from: Broadband Reports [1]

Comcast's $35 Digital Conversion Dongle
Prepares order for 25 million of them...
11:28AM Monday Feb 25 2008 by Karl

The FCC and cable industry have alerted the nation's grandmothers that the digital TV transition will arrive on February 17, 2009, resulting in no Price Is Right for those who still enjoy TV on analog sets and rabbit ears. The FCC is in the process of mailing two $40 coupons for digital converter boxes to anyone who requests them. For users in Comcast territory, the company has apparently sent out an RFP for vendors to design a $35 DTA (Digital Terminal Adapter) that basic users can use instead of a pint-sized cable box:

COO Steve Burke discussed on the company’s fourth quarter conference call the idea of migrating 20 percent of the MSO’s footprint to all-digital during the “back half” of 2008. In those scenarios, it’s expected that Comcast will continue to deliver a small basic analog lineup of roughly 30 channels, but move its expanded basic analog tier to the digital domain. In doing so, it looks to reclaim upwards of 40 channels and reapply them toward expanded high-definition services or for fresh spectrum for Docsis 3.0.

The company is looking to order about 25 million of the devices.