U.S. communications commissioners will be traveling throughout the whole country during the next six months in order to inform television viewers about the future switch to digital TV, Reuters reported.

“We intend to take whatever actions are necessary to try to continue to minimize the burden that’s going to be placed on average consumers around the country,” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said at a conference, according to the same source.

Members of the FCC will take part in public meetings in 80 cities countrywide in an attempt to make known the switch from traditional analog service to digital signals programmed for February 17, the agency announced on Monday. During the six months, five FCC regulators will go to various cities such as Anchorage, Alaska or El Paso, Texas.

The switch was requested by Congress in order to free public airwaves for police or fire departments uses and will nevertheless mean better picture and sound for television viewers.

The conversion is thoroughly managed because users of analog televisions will not be able to watch TV if they do not subscribe to satellite or digital cable, get a converter box or at least replace their TV with a digital one by the deadline.

Furthermore, the federal government is supporting financially the purchase of digital-analog converter boxes by giving $40 discount coupons to owners of analog televisions.

Broadcasters are taking measures as well so as to notify consumers about the upcoming change and have said they would air more than $327 million worth pf TV spots.

The federal government program of approximately $1.5 billion represents sufficient funding to subsidize around 33.5 million converter boxes.