Digital television transition in the United States: Difference between revisions

The DTV (an abbreviation of digital television, also called digital broadcast^[1]) transition in the United States is the switchover from analog (the traditional method of transmitting television signals) to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming. The transition from analog to digital television has been described by David Rehr, president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, as representing "the most significant advancement of television technology since color TV was introduced."^[1] For full-power TV stations, the transition went into effect on June 12, 2009, with stations ending regular programming on their analog signals no later than 11:59 p.m. local time that day.^[2]

Under the Digital Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005, full-power broadcasting of analog television in the United States would have ceased after February 17, 2009. To help U.S. consumers through the conversion, the Act also established a federally-sponsored DTV Converter Box Coupon Program.

The DTV Delay Act changed the mandatory analog cutoff date to June 12, although stations were permitted to cease analog transmissions before the new mandatory cutoff date. The legislation was enacted on February 4, 2009, and on February 11, 2009, President Obama signed it into law.^[3][4] The purpose of the extension was to help the millions of households who had not been able to get their coupons and converters because demand for coupons exceeded the funding provided for in the initial bill, leaving millions on a waiting list to receive coupons. Funding for extra coupons is provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. By midnight on the original cut-off date of February 17, 2009, 641 stations representing 36 percent of U.S. full-power broadcasters were transmitting exclusively in digital.^[5]

Analog broadcasting did not cease entirely following the June 12 deadline: under the provisions of the Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act, approximately 120 full-power stations will briefly maintain analog "nightlight" service, ending no later than July 12.^[6] In addition, low power television stations will be permitted to continue analog broadcasts for several more years.

US full-power analog TV broadcasts were required by law to end in 2009.^[7] Since March 1, 2007, all new television devices that receive signals over-the-air, including pocket-sized portable televisions, personal computer video capture card tuners, and DVD recorders, have been required to include digital ATSC tuners.^[8] Prior to this, the requirement was phased-in starting with larger screen sizes. Prior to the completion of the transition, most U.S. broadcasters are transmitting their signals in both analog and digital formats, though a few are digital-only. Digital stations transmit on another channel, which was assigned to each full-power broadcaster in a three-round digital channel election.

The transition from the analog NTSC format to the digital ATSC format was originally required to be completed on February 17, 2009, as set by Congress in the Digital Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005.^[9] Following the analog switch-off, the FCC has reallocated channels 52 through 69 (the 700 MHz band) for other communications traffic,^[10] completing the reallocation of broadcast channels 52–69 that began in the late 1990s. These channels were auctioned off in early 2008, with the winning bidders to take possession of them in June 2009, as of February 11, 2009. Four channels from this portion of the broadcast spectrum (60, 61, 68, and 69) will be held for reallocation to public safety communications (such as police, fire, and emergency rescue). In addition, some of the freed up frequencies will be used for advanced commercial wireless services for consumers, such as Qualcomm's planned use of former UHF channel 55 for its MediaFLO service.^[9][11]

For U.S. cable television, the FCC voted 5-0 on September 12, 2007 to require operators to make local broadcasts available to their users in analog. This requirement lasts until 2012, when the FCC will review the case again. This was necessary since many cable companies, including major ones like Comcast, have been taking analog channels away from customers.^[12]

In 2007, a bill in the U.S. Congress called the DTV Border Fix Act was introduced. It would have allowed all television stations within 80 kilometers (50 miles) of the Mexican border, in areas such as San Diego and the Rio Grande Valley, to keep their analog signals active for another five years. The bill passed the Senate but did not pass the House.^[13]

The SAFER Act was passed by Congress in December 2008 and signed by President Bush just before Christmas.^[14] The act has been called the "analog nightlight" act, and allows analog stations on channels that will not conflict with post-transition digital stations the option of leaving their analog transmitters on for an additional 30 days, but only to provide disaster information and information regarding the digital transition.

Because the Commerce Department no longer had money to fund additional coupons for converter boxes, and on account of other potential problems, the Barack Obama transition team asked Congress in a January 8, 2009, letter to delay the end of analog TV. The Commerce Department announced January 5, 2009, that the $1.34 billion limit on coupon funding had been reached. Gene Kimmelman of Consumers Union, which wanted a delay, feared older people, those outside cities and the poor needed help.^[15] Speaking to a group of area residents as part of a nationwide campaign to persuade people to upgrade, FCC chair Kevin Martin said in Raleigh, North Carolina that a delay was "unlikely". He said it would be "unfair" to all those who have made the effort to switch, and to those who bought the reallocated spectrum that was sold with the understanding analog broadcasts would end Feb. 17, 2009.^[16] The delay passed Congress despite this prediction (see below).

As part of a test by the FCC to iron out transition and reception concerns before the nationwide shutoff, all of the major network stations in the Wilmington, North Carolina market ceased transmission of their analog signals on September 8, 2008, making it the first market in the nation to go digital-only. Wilmington was chosen as the test city in part because the area's digital channel positions will remain unchanged after the transition.^[17]

The low-power CBS affiliate WILM-LD signed on its new digital signal in time for the transition. The test excluded UNC-TV/PBS station WUNJ, which kept their analog signal on as they are the official conduit of emergency information in the area.^[18]

Viewers were notified of the change by months of public service announcements, town hall meetings, and local news coverage. Only 7% of viewers were affected by the loss of analog broadcasts, the remainder subscribing to cable or satellite services, but this produced 1,800 calls to the FCC for assistance. Officials were concerned by the implications of this for larger markets or those where reliance on over the air broadcasts exceeds 30%.^[19]

More disturbingly, while many calls from viewers were straightforward questions about installation of antennas and converters, or the need to scan for channels before being able to watch digital television, hundreds more were from viewers who had installed converters and UHF antennas correctly but had still lost existing channels. Most affected were full-power broadcasters which had been on low-VHF channels. WECT (NBC 6 Wilmington), a signal which in its analog form reached to the edge of Myrtle Beach, could no longer be received by many who had watched the station for years– a victim of a move to UHF 44 at a different transmitter site. WECT's coverage area had been substantially reduced; for many who were on the fringes of the analog NBC 6 signal, WECT was no more.^[20] However weeks before, new digital-only WMBF-TV, a new NBC affiliate, came to the air to serve Myrtle Beach with a city-grade signal; like WECT, WMBF is owned by Raycom Media.

On November 7, 2008 the FCC issued an order allowing distributed transmission systems to be constructed by stations which otherwise cannot cover their original analog footprint with their new digital channels and facilities.^[21] While broadcasters may now apply for DTS facilities, this decision was made far too late to allow the extra transmitter sites to be constructed and operational before the original February 17, 2009 analog shutoff.^[22]

Various local stations conducted tests to help viewers assess their readiness for the transition. A few are described below.

On September 24, 2008 and October 18, 2008, Sacramento-based KCRA-TV conducted a DTV test during their 6:30pm newscast to see if Sacramentans were ready for the digital transition. For 30 seconds, viewers were shown a simulation of the analog signal being turned off. If the viewer had a capable set with the required equipment to comply with the DTV standards, they would see a PASS graphic on their screen. If the viewer was viewing TV on an analog TV set with an antenna, they would see a FAIL graphic on their screen along with additional information on how to make their TV ready. Unfortunately, this test had a glitch as some Comcast customers got a FAIL sign when their TV should have displayed PASS. KCRA issued a statement on their site explaining technical difficulties with the KCRA signal delivered to Comcast customers and work to fix the glitch. Another test took place on September 25, 2008 to test DTV readiness. KCRA's next DTV test took place on December 15, 2008, when all other Sacramento-based TV stations participated.

On October 28, 2008, 13 stations in the greater New York market also conducted a test. Viewers of the digital signal, including cable and satellite households, saw the regularly-scheduled programming. WABC-TV in New York went a step further and used its 5pm newscast as a DTV special. The New York market anticipates conducting a dozen or more of these "soft" shutdowns, during various day parts and longer periods of time, before June 12, 2009.

On October 30, 2008 on 5 PM, WBNS-TV conducted a test so Ohioans can know if they have DTV or not.

On November 17 at 6:25pm, television stations in all of the 6 television markets in Pennsylvania (Erie, Pittsburgh, Johnstown-Altoona, Harrisburg-Lancaster-York, Philadelphia, and Wilkes-Barre-Scranton) suspended regular analog broadcasts for 60 seconds as part of a test. Some stations left viewers with a snowy screen, while others put up a message informing viewers that if they can see the message they are not ready for the transition to digital television in February 2009. Similar tests were conducted among broadcasters in the Milwaukee market on September 15 and December 17 (2008) and on January 8 (2009), and another in Buffalo, New York on December 15.^[19]

On January 12, 2009, five television stations in the Louisville market conducted three similar tests at 6:50 am, 12:30pm, and 7:30pm.^[23]

FOX affiliate KOKI in Tulsa, Oklahoma has conducted several tests during their 9 PM news broadcast. Viewers who were not ready for the transition saw a message on screen explaining how they can get more information about how to prepare their televisions for the transition.

On January 18, 2009, a television station in Puerto Rico also conducted a test. Viewers of the digital signal, including cable and satellite households, saw the regularly scheduled program.^{[citation needed]}

Digital TV uses a more efficient transmission technology that allows TV stations to offer improved picture and sound quality, as well as offer more programming options through multiple digital subchannels (multicasting). Television stations have been preparing for the transition from analog to DTV since the late 1990s, when they began building digital facilities and airing digital channels alongside regular analog broadcasts. Today, 1609 out of 1745 full-power television stations nationwide offer digital programming, however, most of the smaller, low-power broadcasters, for whom switching to digital would be cost-prohibitive, will still be permitted to transmit in analog for several years to come.^[24] Since the majority of US viewership is no longer using over-the-air antennae to receive signals, but has switched to cable and satellite, the impact will be much smaller on current NTSC receivers which will continue to use NTSC content and devices after the cut-off date. Set-top boxes will enable existing over-the-air NTSC only receivers to watch over-the-air ATSC signals.

While broadcasters have been forced by Federal Communications Commission regulations to devote the equivalent of more than a billion dollars worth of airtime to public service announcements regarding the digital transition, the amount of information conveyed in these short advertisements is by necessity limited. Both the on-air announcements and government-funded telephone hotlines receiving viewer enquiries have been directing consumers to Internet sites to seek information,^[25] a problematic approach as many of those most-affected do not use online media as a primary source of information.

Consumers may discover their old analog televisions, VCRs, DVRs, and other devices which lack a digital tuner no longer receive over-the-air television, though previously recorded content can still be replayed.^[26] There are several solutions to alleviate this problem. One solution is to purchase service from a local cable company or national satellite service which will provide analog signals to older devices. A second solution is to buy an external tuner (called a converter box) that receives DTV signals directly and converts them to analog for the television.

Users of analog VCRs, DVRs, or other recording devices which lack a digital tuner have a unique problem of no longer being able to record programs across multiple channels. In order to make them work with DTV the viewer must use an external tuner box and set the device to record the output from that box, typically L-1 for the line input. Some manufacturers like Zinwell and Dish sell external converter boxes/tuners that will automatically change channels at preset times. If for example a viewer wanted to tape Law & Order at 10 PM EST and The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:30 PM EST, they can program these external tuners to switch from NBC to CBS at the appointed times. The analog VCR or DVR will continue recording the L-1 line input.

Alternatively the user may purchase a new TV, DVR, or DVD recorder with a built-in digital tuner. However these newer technologies have their own drawbacks, such as no way to store programs long-term (DVR) or being limited to only 1-2 hours with high quality XP mode (DVD-R).^[27] There's also the drawback of losing existing investment in blank tapes & associated equipment in the older, familiar technology. For these reasons viewers may prefer using the VHS or Super VHS VCRs that they are used to, and which offer better capabilities (permanent storage and 11-hour tapes), even though they lack built-in digital tuners.

A major concern is that the broadcast technology used to transmit ATSC signals called 8VSB has problems receiving signal inside buildings and in urban areas, largely due to multipath reception issues which cause ghosting and fading on analog images, but can lead to intermittent signal or no reception at all on ATSC programs.^[28] DTV broadcasts exhibit a digital cliff effect, by which viewers will receive either a perfect signal or no signal at all with little or no middle ground. Digital transmissions do contain additional data bits to provide error correction for a finite number of bit errors; once signal quality degrades beyond that point, recovery of the original digital signal becomes impossible, and the image on the screen freezes, or blinks back and forth to totally blank black.

The maximum power for DTV broadcast classes is also substantially lower; one-fifth of the legal limits for the former full-power analog services. This is because there are only eight different states in which an 8VSB signal can be in at any one moment, thus like all digital transmissions, very little signal is required at the receiver in order to decode it. Nonetheless, this limit is often too low for many stations to reach many rural areas, which was an alleged benefit in the FCC's choice of ATSC and 8VSB over worldwide-standard DVB-T and its COFDM modulation. Additionally, without the hierarchical modulation of DVB, signal loss is complete, and there is no switch to a lower resolution before this occurs. Even if power limits were increased, it would not solve the multipath issue however.

A hundred-kW analog station on TV channels 2 to 6 would therefore be faced with the choice of either lowering its power by 80% (to the twenty kilowatt limit of low-VHF DTV) or abandoning a frequency which it occupied since the 1950s in order to transmit more power (up to 1000kW) on the less-crowded UHF TV band. Such stations can keep the same channel number, however, because of ATSC virtual channels. Unfortunately, the higher frequencies are challenged in areas where signals must travel great distances or encounter significant terrestrial obstacles. Most stations in the low-VHF (channels 2-6) will not be returning with their digital signals to these frequencies after February 2009. About 40 stations will remain in the low-VHF after the transition, with the majority in smaller markets (with a few notable exceptions).^[29][30] The FCC has long discouraged the digital allocation on low-VHF channels for several reasons: higher ambient noise, interference with FM radio (channel 6 borders FM at 88MHz), and larger antenna size required for these channels.^[31][32][33] After the transition, many viewers using "high-definition" antennas have reported problems receiving stations that broadcast on VHF channel 6.^[34] This is because some of the new antennas marketed as "HDTV antennas" from manufactures such as Channel Master were only designed for channels 7-51 are more compact than their channel 2-69 counterparts. These manufacturers did not anticipate widespread continued use of the long-wavelength low-VHF channels.

Stations that broadcast in analog on channel 6 have had an additional benefit of having its audio feed broadcast on 87.7 MHz, which is at the very low end of the FM radio dial. As such, many stations that use channel 6 have taken advantage of this, and directly promote this feature, especially during drive time newscasts. Digital television, however, does not have this feature, and after the transition, this additional method of reception will no longer be available. WRGB, channel 6 in Albany, New York, has proposed using a separate transmitter on 87.7 which will transmit a polarized analog audio signal, avoiding interference with the digital TV feed and allowing the station to keep its audio on 87.7 FM after the transition to digital.^[35]

The Consumer Electronics Association has set up a website called Antenna Web^[36] to identify means to provide the correct signal reception to over-the-air viewers. The TV Fool website^[37] provides geographic mapping and signal data to allow viewers to estimate the number of channels which will be gained or lost as a result of digital transition; while it estimates that marginally more stations will be gained than lost by viewers, this varies widely with viewers of low-VHF analog signals in distant-fringe areas among the most adversely affected. An estimated 1.8 million people will lose the ability to access over-the-air TV entirely as a result of the digital transition.

Viewers in rural and mountainous regions are particularly prone to lose all reception after digital transition.^[38]

US markets which have presented unique problems for digital transition include:

• New York City-Newark was one of the early U.S. terrestrial digital television pioneers with state-of-the-art ATSC facilities installed atop the World Trade Center as early as 1998, but those facilities were destroyed in the September 11 attacks, and for a number of years, New York lacked one single point of sufficient height from which to cover the entire region without severe multipath interference issues in downtown Manhattan, New York. The 1776-foot 1 World Trade Center, proposed to replace the former World Trade Center, will not be completed until some time in 2013, so several scenarios were considered to enhance service. One such system, called distributed transmission, was being funded by a $30,000,000 federal grant to assure that no viewers are left without service. The DTS would have used low power transmitters to fill gaps in coverage from the Empire State Building. The Metropolitan Television Alliance, a group of eleven New York and New Jersey broadcasters organized soon after the destruction of the facilities at the World Trade Center, has been leading the development of the DTS system. In 2004, a partial solution was implemented: the top of the Condé Nast Building at 4 Times Square was reinforced and installed with a massive multiplexed UHF antenna. This relieves overcrowding at Empire State by using the site of a local Clear Channel radio facility to replace master antenna installations destroyed at WTC.
• New Orleans, Louisiana and portions of Mississippi were operating some digital transmitters from temporary locations or from towers belonging to other stations due to damage done during Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in 2005. While stations are now back on-air, the coverage area often does not match that specified on the station licences due to the change in antenna locations.
• Denver, Colorado faces unique multipath interference problems largely due to its mountainous location; its antennas on Lookout Mountain will need to increase in height to overcome obstacles to digital reception, but attempts to get local zoning approval have met with strong opposition. Federal legislation was ultimately used to require that Denver stations be allowed to construct their post-transition digital facilities but sharp nulls and gaps in coverage remain.
• Sparsely-populated mountainous regions such as Montana and Utah currently rely heavily on broadcast translators to rebroadcast network stations into underserved communities; while these low-power retransmitters are not themselves required to broadcast digitally, many will need costly upgrades to receive a digital signal from the originating station– if the signal can be received at all. 23% of the 4000 licensed translators have received a federal subsidy^[39] to make the conversion,^[40] but many others will simply go dark. In sparsely-populated markets such as Glendive, Montana, translators are needed to reach a widely-scattered audience but the readiness of many small municipally-owned translators remains largely unknown.
• Many other stations in the Rocky Mountains had chosen to end analogue broadcasts early because of poor winter conditions at transmission sites in February; stations needed to be sure they can make the on-site adjustments. For these broadcasters, the DTV Delay Act and its extended deadline of June 12, 2009 comes too late to be of use as the digital transition has already been completed.
• Vermont, a market in which all major stations are as of February 2009 digital-only, is problematic as both a rural state and a mountainous region. WCAX CBS 3 Burlington and WPTZ NBC 5 North Pole are now both UHF broadcasts from Mount Mansfield, causing many viewers to lose the stations.
• Buffalo, New York, a city whose stations mostly broadcast from among the Boston Hills and cover a fairly rugged terrain along the Appalachian Plateau, is one of several markets in which the primary stations are VHF stations that operate on 2, 4, and 7. All three stations were assigned DTV channels in the UHF spectrum; all will lose significant broadcast coverage in the transition, and viewers in the western Twin Tiers region will lose all of their broadcast stations. In May 2009, both WIVB (channel 4) and WGRZ (channel 2) warned its viewers that were not in Erie or Niagara Counties that they would likely lose the broadcast signal, reducing the station's coverage area from approximately 12 counties to just two.
• Syracuse, New York had since 1948 employed low-VHF channels to feed networks to adjacent markets (notably CBS to Utica, NBC to Watertown). These markets are sixty to seventy-five miles distant. Utica will lose CBS service because its affiliate, based in Syracuse, broadcasts on channel 5 analog (with a strong enough to reach Utica), but its channel 47 digital signal does not reach anywhere near Utica. Channel 5 has historically refused to cede its Utica territory to another potential affiliate. Similarly, Watertown, New York and Kingston, Ontario (which lack NBC locally) will lose a Syracuse NBC 3 affiliate once the DTV transition renders Syracuse a UHF island.^[41]
• On January 15, 2009, Hawaii became the first state in the United States to have its television stations switch from analog to digital early. Existing analog facilities at Mount Haleakala on Maui are to be removed due to ongoing radio interference with astronomy equipment operated under the watchful eye of the United States Department of Defense and the University of Hawai'i.^[42] The digital stations are being deployed using new facilities at Ulupalakua and the old towers will be removed before bird nesting season begins in March. By making the switch early, the broadcast towers atop Haleakala near the birds' nesting grounds can be dismantled without interfering with the Hawaiian petrels' nesting season.^[43]
• Between June 12 and July 1, programs on the FOX network were unavailable to viewers throughout the state of Montana who do not have cable or satellite service. ^{[44] [45]} The stations in Butte, Great Falls and Missoula were among many full-powered stations owned by Equity Broadcasting. Equity filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008, and the stations went silent on June 12 for two reasons: 1)the stations did not receive construction permits before the FCC's original allocations were made in 1997,^[46] and 2)Equity was unable to prepare to flash-cut the signals to digital due to its financial woes. Although Equity conducted a successful auction for the stations in April 2009, the required federal government approval came too late for the new owner, Max Media, to do the flash cuts. Eventually, Max Media chose to move the affiliation to digital subchannels of their respective new sister stations, all ABC affiliates.^[47] Other stations owned by Equity, such as KUOK in Oklahoma City, were able to make flash-cuts and are still on the air.

There are 80 media markets in which more than 100,000 households receive television signals by over-the-air broadcasts.^[19]

The reclaimed channels will be used for a variety of service, including mobile phones, MediaFLO (55) and public safety (63/64 base, 68/69 mobile). Most of this mobile spectrum has been sold to existing incumbent providers, with AT&T Mobility and Verizon as the largest bidders.

The elimination of UHF channels, rather than VHF channels as in the rest of the world, precludes the use of band III (high VHF) for Digital Audio Broadcasting as is standard elsewhere. It also makes more difficult the reassignment of channels 5 and 6 (76 to 88MHz) for LPFM. There are also no channels set aside for analog broadcasts of the Emergency Alert System, rendering most portable emergency TV sets useless. While a small number of portable ATSC sets have started to appear, these are costly.^[48] A portable converter box (such as Winegard's RCDT09A) would require a bulky external battery and mobile ATSC is not yet available.

A Google-sponsored program called Free the Airwaves has started with the goal of using the "empty" white space within the remaining TV for unlicensed use, like for Wi-Fi.^[49]

After the switch from analog to digital broadcasts is complete, analog TVs will be incapable of receiving over-the-air broadcasts without the addition of a set-top converter box. Consequently, a digital-to-analog converter, an electronic device that connects to an analog television, must be used in order to allow the television to receive digital broadcasts.^[50] The box may also be called a "set-top" converter, "digital TV adapter" (DTA), or "digital set-top box" (DSTB).^[51] It does not actually allow the TV itself to decode digital, but rather tuning and on-screen display is done by the box itself, and output via composite video and via coaxial cable on channel 3 or 4.

To assist consumers through the conversion, the Department of Commerce through its National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) division handled requests from households for up to two $40 coupons for digital-to-analog converter boxes^[52] beginning January 1, 2008 via a toll free number or a website.^[53][54] The program is paid-for with a small part of the 20 billion dollars taken-in from the DTV spectrum auction. However, these government coupons were limited to an initial sum of $890 million (22,250,000 coupons) with the option to grow to $1.34 billion (33,500,000 coupons),^[55] which is far short of the estimated 112 million households (224 million redeemable coupons) in the United States.^[56] Nevertheless, not every household will take advantage of the offer, as reports indicate half of all households already have at least one digital TV.^[57] In January 2009, the NTIA began placing coupon requests on a waiting list after the program reached its maximum allowed funding. Only after unredeemed coupons expire can new requests be fulfilled.^[58]

These coupons may be redeemed toward the purchase of a digital-to-analog converter at brick and mortar, on-line, and telephone retailers that have completed the NTIA certification process.^[59] Retail prices for the boxes range from $40 to $70 (plus tax and/or shipping); after applying the coupons, the price to the consumer should be between $5 and $40 per box. Because it is actually used as a payment, despite the name "coupon", consumers must pay state and local sales tax on the coupon amount, which in effect reduces its value by about three dollars (based on 7½% tax).

There has been possible evidence that the presence of the government coupon program has inflated the prices of converter boxes by between $21 and $34 above what they would be otherwise.^[60] However, this may be due to non-coupon retailers lowering profit margins to compete.

On January 21, 2009, Senator Jay Rockefeller introduced a bill in the Senate titled the DTV Delay Act, because millions of Americans would not be ready for the cutoff on February 17 due to a shortage of converter box coupons, and proposing that the transition date be moved to June 12. Rockefeller, chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, worked together on the bill. Hutchison supported the idea because Rockefeller did not intend to ask for another postponement. On January 22, The Nielsen Company said 6.5 million Americans had not prepared for the switch. Opponents pointed out that TV stations would face extra operating expenses, and those who paid to use the spectrum to be made available would have to wait.

Under later amendments, stations could choose to end analog broadcasts before June 12 even if the bill passed, and any frequencies freed up by such action could be used by fire and police departments and other emergency services. Those whose converter box coupons had expired would be allowed to apply for new coupons. The House postponed a similar bill (by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman), until the Senate's version was complete.^[61][62]

The Senate unanimously voted on January 26, 2009 to delay the digital TV transition to June 12, 2009.^[63] However, the House of Representatives voted on and defeated a similar measure on January 28.^[62] Rep. Joe Barton led the movement in the House to defeat the measure, saying that "the DTV transition is neither stuck nor broke", and that any problems with the DTV transition can be fixed.^[64] Barton also said, "I guarantee you, no matter when you set the date— Feb. 17, June 12, July the Fourth, Valentine's Day— there are going to be some people that aren't ready."^[65][66]

On January 29, the DTV Delay Act passed in the Senate.^[67][68] On February 4, the House also approved this measure.^[69][70][71]

The bill was submitted to President Obama on February 4, who did not immediately sign it into law. On February 9, President Obama posted the bill on The White House's Official Website, giving the public five days to weigh in on it. Under a midnight February 10 deadline imposed by the FCC, broadcasters disclosed whether they would still cease broadcasting analog signals on the original date of February 17, or if they would delay until June 12, should the DTV Delay Act be signed into law.^[72] On February 10, the FCC published the list. 491 stations stated they intended to transition on February 17. The FCC reserved final say on which stations would be allowed to transition on February 17 and which ones would be forced to continue analog broadcasts, depending on how many viewers in each market have been determined not ready for the transition^{[4][73][74][70]} Owned & Operated stations of five major networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and Telemundo, plus the CW, myNetworkTV and independent stations owned by CBS and myNetworkTV stations owned by Fox), as well as the station groups of Gannett, Hearst-Argyle and Meredith, committed to keeping all or most of their analog signals active until the new June 12 cutoff date.^[75][76] In total, 191 stations already have turned off their analog transmitters for good.^[73] On February 11, 2009 President Obama signed the bill into law, officially moving the cutoff date to June 12, 2009.^[3]

On February 20, 2009, the FCC released an order stating that stations that wish to go all digital before the final June 12, 2009 date must inform the FCC of that decision by March 17, 2009.^[77][78]

While 93 large-city network owned and operated stations (controlled by CBS, ABC, Fox TV and NBC) would continue analog broadcasts until June 12,^[79] many small-market broadcasters were unable to justify the extra cost, with non-commercial and independent stations very adversely affected. No funding was provided to reimburse broadcasters who incurred additional costs due to the DTV Delay Act.

Public Broadcasting Service CEO Paula Kerger had estimated a $22 million cost to the nation's PBS member stations to extend simulcasting until June 12;^[80] more than a hundred PBS stations ultimately elected to stick to the original deadline.^[81] Some individual commercial station groups, most notably Sinclair Broadcast Group and Gray Television, shut down the vast majority of their analog signals on the original deadline. Others left the question to their individual local stations. Many local markets, ranging from Burlington, Vermont and Sioux City, Iowa^[82] to San Diego, California,^[83] lost analog signals from most or all major US stations. Some stations in coastal regions such as Fort Myers, Florida had chosen not to wait until June 12 so as to ensure transition is complete before hurricane season.^[84]

In some cases, the Federal Communications Commission forced stations to continue full-power analog broadcast of at least a local newscast and information on the digital transition for an additional sixty days - a costly move for individual affected broadcasters. Of 491 stations which had indicated their intention to go digital-only in February 2009,^[85] 123 affiliates of four major US commercial networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC) were targeted by Federal Communications Commission opposition, precluding or applying additional restrictions to the shutdown of their analog signals^[86] in markets where the only analog service remaining after the February 17^th shutdown would have been an independent or educational broadcaster, an adjacent-market station or a low-power station.^[87][88] Of approximately 1800 US full-service TV stations, an additional 190 were already digital-only before February 2009; these included Hawaii (digital since January 2009) and Wilmington, North Carolina (the FCC's 2008 digital test market), as well as some new stations and a few broadcasters forced to shut down analog early due to technical problems.

That same day, the FCC announced it would allow 368 of the 491 applied stations to go all-digital on the original February 17 date, 100 of which will be allowed to use their analog signal to inform unprepared viewers of the new transition date, or for emergency situations such as severe weather (called "nightlighting"). The FCC concluded that the other 123 stations who applied present a "significant risk of substantial public harm," if they go all digital on February 17. The FCC stated "We considered the presence of major networks and their affiliates critical to ensuring that viewers have access to local news and public affairs available over the air because the major network affiliates are the primary source of local broadcast news and public affairs programming". The FCC would not permit the 123 stations in "at-risk" markets to proceed unless they certify with the agency by 6 p.m. ET on February 13 that they comply with eight additional requirements, including ensuring that at least one station that is currently providing analog service to an area within the DMA provides DTV transition and emergency information, as well as local news and public affairs programming ("enhanced nightlight" service) for at least 60 days following February 17.^{[74][89][90][91]}

On February 13, the FCC said 53 of the applied 106 at risk stations have qualified to go all digital on February 17. The other 43 qualify for nightlight service, with 10 others which couldn't comply with the nightlight clause. The total number stations which became digital only on February 17 was 421.^[92][93]

House Republican Joe Barton from Texas, who strongly opposed the DTV Delay Act, (see above section for further details) introduced a bill that would insert $650 million in DTV transition assistance into The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to be used for making more converter box coupons available and for DTV education, which is strongly supported by the Obama administration.^[62][94] The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 passed with this revision in the House with a vote of 244-188 on January 28, 2009,^[95][96] and the Senate passed the bill on February 10 by a vote of 61-37.^[97]

Congressional negotiators announced on February 11, 2009, that they had reached agreement on a $789 billion economic stimulus bill.^[98] President Obama signed the final $787 billion version into law on February 17, 2009 in Denver, Colorado.^[99] The final version includes the DTV provisions.^[100]

While the economic stimulus bill does allow additional funds for coupons, there is also a risk that currently-available retail stock of the converter boxes themselves could prove inadequate. The Consumer Electronics Association had estimated three to six million boxes remained in-stock at the beginning of February 2009; Nielsen Media Research reported five million households as "completely unready" for digital transition in this same time period. The average US household uses 3 television screens.^[101] However, the converter box coupon program only allows 2 coupons per household.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 also allocated funds for expert installation services for those switching to DTV.^[102]

The FCC awarded the contract to several companies to provide expert installation services.^[103]

On May 1, 2009, Nielsen Media Research reported that 3.1 % of Americans were still completely unprepared for the transition.^[104] On June 11, 2009, one day before the analog shutoff, the National Association of Broadcasters reported that 1.75 million Americans were still not ready.^[105]

971 TV stations made the final switch to digital on June 12. It was believed Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Austin and Dallas would be the least prepared markets, but this turned out not to be the case, as most of the difficulties were in the Northeast, primarily with stations that changed their digital frequencies from UHF to VHF.

On June 13, 2009, the FCC said their help line, with about 4000 answering phones, received 317,450 calls on June 12. About one-third of callers still needed converter boxes, and one-fifth had reception problems. Acting FCC chair Michael Copps said, "Our job is far from over. This transition is not a one-day affair."

In New York City, about 11,000 people called the FCC for assistance, the most of any market. The other areas from which the most calls to the FCC were made: Chicago (6526), Los Angeles (5473), Dallas-Fort Worth (5473), and Philadelphia (3749). 900,000 calls were received in all.

The National Association of Broadcasters said 278 TV stations received 35,500 calls, but most callers merely needed to rescan.

The Commerce Department said 319,900 requested converter box coupons on June 11, almost four times the average during the previous month.^[106]

SmithGeiger LLC said 2.2 million homes were not ready, while Nielsen said the number was 2.8 million. This included homes which had requested coupons.^[107] On June 14, Nielsen said the number was 2.5 million, or 2.2 percent of homes. That number was down to 2.1 million, or 1.8 percent, by June 21,^[108] and 1.7 million, or 1.5 percent, a week later.^[109]

U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat, introduced the House version of The Digital TV Fairness Act, which Senator Bernie Sanders introduced in December 2008. It would require video service providers to offer a $10 basic package to anyone who lost at least one channel to the DTV conversion (with broadcasters waiving fees), pay for outdoor antennas (including installation) and extend the converter box program beyond July 31.^[110]

In some cases where digital frequencies moved, people have been advised not only to re-scan but to "double-scan", in order to clear outdated information from the digital TV or converter box memory.^[106]

Calls to the FCC decreased from 43,000 a day in the week ending June 15 to 21,000 the next week. Reception problems, representing nearly a third of calls at first, were down to one-fifth.^[111]

One of the most common problems was the return to VHF frequencies by stations that had used them when they were analog. Over 480 stations were broadcasting digitally on the VHF spectrum after the transition, up from only 216 on the frequencies before. Many antennas marketed for digital TV are designed for UHF, which most digital stations use. VHF analog signals travel further than UHF signals, but VHF digital signals appear to have a more limited range than UHF with the lower power they are assigned, and they don't penetrate buildings as well, especially in larger cities.^[112][113]

The FCC sent extra personnel to Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City to deal with difficulties in those cities. WLS-TV had received 1,735 calls just by the end of the day on June 12, and an estimated 5000 calls in total by June 16. WLS-TV is just one station which may solve its problems by increasing its signal strength, but doing this will require making sure no other stations are affected.^[114] A low-power analog station, not required to shut down after 30 days like other nightlight stations, aired newscasts that could not be seen by a number of people after the transition, while the stations attempted to solve problems.^[115] In Philadelphia, most of the problems were with WPVI-TV, which had the area's leading news program, and public station WHYY-TV. Many people having trouble with those stations could pick up stations from Reading and Atlantic City.^[116] Unlike WLS, WPVI had concerns about increasing its signal because of potential interference to other stations and to FM radio.

In New York City, many called the FCC because they lived in apartment buildings with a single roof antenna which was not suited for the job. The city reported antenna shortages and numerous requests for cable service.^[106]

By the end of June, four stations had received permission to increase power: WPVI; KTVB in Boise, Idaho; WSVN in Miami, Florida; and KWCH in Wichita, Kansas. WLS got a two-week temporary permit, and WBAL-TV in Baltimore began equipment testing before a decision on making an increase permanent. 10 other stations asked for power increases as well, but these were not the big cities with tall buildings. Instead, the markets include Butte, Missoula, Bristol, Virginia and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The FCC had two concerns about the requests for more power: some stations just wanted a competitive advantage and were not actually experiencing difficulties. Other stations wanted UHF frequencies instead because UHF worked better with mobile digital TV. However, some stations with legitimate problems have asked to return to their UHF frequencies.^[117]

About two dozen VHF stations still had problems.^[111]

On June 30, his first day as FCC Chairman, Julius Genachowski said in a speech that the transition

succeeded far beyond expectations. You pulled it off by working collaboratively with each other across the agency, and with the Commerce Department and other parts of government, and by thinking creatively to leverage all available resources.^[118]

Still, the FCC planned a report on how well the transition went, and Genachowski admitted more work was needed.^[111]

This article uses bare URLs, which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot. Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style. Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting, such as reFill (documentation) and Citation bot (documentation). (May 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• Coupon-eligible converter box
• Comparison of coupon-eligible converter box units

• PBS Special on DTV (approximately 20 minute video)
• DTVAnswers.com: What you need to know about the June 12, 2009 switch to DTV.
• National Association of Broadcasters
• DTVRedAlert.org
• DTV Transition
• Consumer oriented FCC site
• FCC regulatory information on the DTV transition
• Federal Coupon Program
• Full Text of the DTV Delay Act from WhiteHouse.gov