The cable company Comcast is making changes to its cable lineup that may be a start of a new trend in the cable industry.  Comcast plans to drop its "expanded" tier of analog channels by the year 2010.  And 20% of the places that Comcast serves will lose that service this year.

Now it won't mean that stations won't be available to consumers.  What it does mean that subscribers to Comcast will need to change their service.  They can either switch to digital cable (usually more expensive) or use a converter to continue receiving the channels. 

This is a change from what we have been told about the change to digital.  Most cable companies will convert the signal without any extra cost to subscribers.  Comcast says that the analog channels are being cleared to make room for more digital services.

While Comcast is based in Philadelphia and is nowhere near the Waco area, it's the largest cable company (yes, larger than Time Warner) and second largest internet provider in the United States.  And some people in the Houston area have Comcast service.  No date on when the change will happen there.