Why the Switch?
In the mid-1990s, Congress determined that broadcast stations must transition from analog to digital television broadcasting and return their analog spectrum to the FCC. In 2006, Congress set February 17, 2009 as the official date for conversion from analog to digital. This pivotal change has been mandated for several key reasons.
First, converting to DTV will release much-needed broadcast spectrum for public safety and other uses.
Second, DTV is more efficient and reliable than analog television, offering vastly improved and more reliable picture and sound quality.
Third, DTV uses far less bandwidth, so stations can “multicast” – or, provide multiple channels of different programming using the same amount of space.
Download a copy of the WSIU publication "The Digital Switch: What You Need to Know". It contains helpful information about digital television and how to prepare for the conversion (PDF format).
