Are any TV stations exempt from the 2009 cutoff date?
This is archived content from Digital TV Facts. For up-to-date information on the digital TV transition, see the federal government’s site, www.DTV2009.gov. Low-power television (LPTV) stations and translator stations are exempt from the digital TV transition deadline of Feb. 17, 2009, which applies only to full-power stations. No deadline has been established for low-power stations, which have a limited broadcast range (and limited viewership) in rural or urban areas. TV translator stations, which retransmit signals from full-power stations, are in the same boat. Under the current plan, these stations will continue analog broadcasts after the dominant stations have switched to digital. Between October 2007 and September 2009, a federal program will make payments to eligible low-power stations to assist with the transition to digital TV. The program will be administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is part of the Commerce Department.
