One year from this week, American television will undergo the most profound transformation since color TV arrived in the era of Lucille Ball and Ed Sullivan.

On Feb. 17, 2009, television stations will begin broadcasting with a digital signal. The over-the-air signals we pick up with rabbit ear antennas will cease to exist, and most people using antennas today will need new equipment to continue to receive the programming they count on.

As a member of the Senate Com-merce Committee, I know the bene-fits that digital transmission can bring. It will be able to carry high-definition sound and images that can enhance movies and sporting events. For our first responders, it has the potential to improve emergency communications.

But I also understand that the dig-ital TV transition has the potential to create confusion for consumers.

Already, people are asking: Will my old television still work? Will I have to buy a new TV set?

How much will this cost?

These questions are particularly important in Minnesota because consumers here, more than in most states, still rely on over-the-air television rather than cable or satellite reception.

Across our state some 430,000 households — over 20 percent of television households — rely exclusively on an over-the-air signal. Of these, many are in greater Minnesota, including nearly 40,000 households in Duluth and more than 20,000 in the Rochester area.

It is important to know that TVs with cable or satellite service, and new sets that are digital-ready, will be unaffected by the digital transition. But people with the old-fashioned TV sets with antennas will have to get a converter box, or get cable or satellite service or buy a new digital-ready television. The government is making coupons available for those who want to obtain converter boxes.

In the Commerce Committee we took testimony last fall on the digi-tal transition. I warned the agencies charged with educating the public about this important event that they still had a lot of work to do in getting the message across.

Since then I’ve worked with the National Association of Broadcasters, the Minnesota Broadcasters Association, executives from Best Buy and Target, and others to make sure consumers have the information they need for a smooth transition.

Here’s what consumers need to know: The digital TV transition can be simple and inexpensive.

People with cable service, satellite reception or new digital-ready TV sets are all set. People without cable or satellite or a digital-ready TV set can convert their existing TV sets with a simple and inexpensive converter box. These boxes are available, or soon will be, at the nation’s electronics retailers.

To assist consumers with the digital switchover, Congress in 2005 created a $1.5 billion fund to subsidize the cost of converter boxes. Every household with antenna TVs can apply for up to two coupons worth $40 each toward the purchase of inexpensive converter boxes. These coupons became available on Jan. 1 and will be available until March 31, 2009. It’s important to know, however, that once issued, a coupon is valid for only three months.

Obtaining these coupons is easy. You can get more information about the digital transition and apply for a free coupon at my Web site: klobuchar.senate.gov, or at the official federal Web site, www.dtv2009.gov.

During my years as Hennepin County attorney and since I arrived in the U.S. Senate, I’ve considered it one of my most important respon-sibilities to look out for Minnesota consumers. Technological change and market competition can bring great benefits to our families, but only if consumers have the best available information to navigate a changing world.

Amy Klobuchar, DFL-Minnesota, is a member of the U.S. Senate.