Background

• From the time of the first commercial television broadcasts in the 1930s, all television broadcasts were in an analog format. This means TV stations would send a composite video signal over radio waves using an AM signal TV sets could pick up through the use of an antenna. Analog TVs are prone to picking up electromagnetic noise from radio stations, appliances and even cosmic radiation, and as a result, would often show "snowy," fuzzy or distorted images. In addition, analog TVs can only show 525 horizontal lines of resolution, while digital TVs can display about twice as many lines.
  
  

Congressional Mandate

• In May 1993, after years of debate and testing, the Federal Communications Commission decided on a plan to replace the analog broadcasting system with an all-digital system that would use terrestrial antennas. The system would have the advantage of broadcasting in a resolution as high as 1920 by 1080 pixels, and would also allow TVs to be compatible with computers. Congress approved the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which originally set a date of December 21, 2006 as the deadline for TV broadcasts to be transitioned over to digital. However, this was delayed several times, until the June 12, 2009 date was agreed upon.
  
  

Benefits

• In addition to allowing TV stations to offer better picture and sound quality, stations could offer the same programs in both standard definition and high-definition broadcasts, which is also known as "multicasting." Stations could also offer interactive video and data services that would not be possible using analog technology. There were also several public benefits to the digital TV transition. Digital TV services use the radio spectrum more efficiently, which allowed the FCC to free up more of the broadcast spectrum for public safety communications, such as police and fire departments. Parts of the radio spectrum were auctioned off to companies to provide more advanced wireless services, including mobile broadband.
  
  

Requirements

• The digital TV transition only affected those households using an analog TV set that used an antenna to receive over-the-air broadcasts from full-power broadcast TV stations. It did not affect people with analog sets that subscribed to cable or satellite TV services. Those affected households who wanted to keep their analog TV could either subscribe to a cable or satellite service, or purchase a digital-to-analog converter box. These converter boxes were available at most retail stores for approximately $60. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration offered a $40 coupon to households who purchased a converter box.