When will television stations switch to digital broadcasting?
A. On June 12, 2009, all full-power television stations in the United States stopped broadcasting in analog and switched to 100 percent digital broadcasting. Digital broadcasting provides a clearer picture and more programming options. It will also free up airwaves for use by emergency responders. Once the DTV transition is completed, some television channels will be turned over to fire and police departments for emergency communication and others will be auctioned to companies to provide new wireless services. Analog television sets receiving free TV using an antenna no longer work. Television viewers with these sets that are not connected to a pay TV service will need to take action to enable their TV sets to work. Consumers have a variety of options.
