Question on the total benefits of the switch to HDTV?

The spectrum of current channels 2 through 13 over the air will not be used for digital TV. So, the FCC has auctioned off the rights for wireless communications companies to have exclusive rights to this bandwidth for their wireless services. Companies have paid billions of dollars to the government for this.

The digital transition will result in the frequencies of analog channels 2 - 6 being vacated, thus being available for other services that the FCC can license for a fee.

You may still see digital channels with numbers like "2, 3, 4, 5, or 6" after the transition, but those stations will actually be transmitting on higher numbered channels.

There is going to be a lot of analog TV spectrum free on the air. There is a debate between companies who want that all those "free waves" that will end up in the air. So the government might sell it to some companies for billions of dollars, or theymay leave those frequences open for the public. Which will end up sort of like a wireless connection with all those waves wondering around in the air.

The switch is to digital, not HD. Broadcasters are transmitting HD, and one of the ways to get digital broadcasts is to upgrade to an HD set.

The government will sell additional bandwidth to mobile communications.