What Are the Government Regulations for Digital Television?

Congress has required that all televisions convert to all-digital broadcasts in order to free up the frequencies currently used by analog televisions for other uses. The difference between a traditional analog television and a digital television is primarily in how the television receives its signal. In order to ease the transition between analog and digital televisions, the US government has set up some regulations.

Time Frame

As of June 12, 2009, all televisions will be required to be able to accept a digital signal to display programming. The transition was originally planned to take place on February 17, 2009 but was pushed back in order to better educate citizens on the transition and arrange for more funds to help citizens who may not be able to afford a converter box.

Types

A digital signal can be sent to a television through cable or satellite. If a television is not connected to a cable or satellite, it will need either to have a built-in digital tuner or be connected to a digital converter box in order to operate.

Features

Digital television allows television stations to send out a higher-quality signal with sharper picture and sound quality than was possible with the older analog signal.

Prevention/Solution

All televisions made or shipped into the United States after March 1, 2007 were required to have a built-in digital tuner. After May 25, 2007, electronics stores were required to disclose to customers at point-of-sale that their television would not work without technical assistance after the digital transition.

Potential

The United States government offers financial assistance to lower-income television viewers in the form of a voucher that can be used to purchase a digital converter box and maintain "free" television after the transition.