FCC sets rules for delayed DTV transition
March 17, 2009
The Federal Communications Commission last week issued orders on how broadcasters should complete the transition to digital television on or before June 12.
Full power television stations making the digital jump that expect to lose two percent or more of the population in their old analog reception range must broadcast news about the signal loss through PSAs.
"The guiding principle here is simple - consumers deserve to know the truth," interim FCC chairman Michael Copps said in a release. "They will forgive a lot, but they won't forgive being lulled into a false sense that the transition will be less disruptive or less expensive than it turns out to be."
Many broadcast licenses will be making a shift from VHF to UHF bands, making some VHF-only antennae useless junk. The FCC published a list of TV stations with digital signals that will transmit with less power compared to their analog signal. In some instances, more than a few viewers could lose access to those stations.
The FCC noted that some stations have not made clear that some viewers will lose reception when the analog turns off. The agency said 213 stations now have to comply with the FCC's requirement that they announce in PSAs and on-screen crawls about changes due to the transition.
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