With a firm  date established in law, all full-power television broadcasters will cease  broadcasting their analog signal by February 17, 2009. The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 addresses  the responsibilities of FCC related to the DTV transition. Broadcast Stations Have Made Substantial Progress in Transitioning to Digital Television, and the Vast Majority Are Already Transmitting a Digital Signal

Most broadcasters have made significant progress in preparing their  stations for the transition to digital, with 91 percent of survey respondents  reporting that they were already transmitting a digital signal. In addition, 68 percent of survey respondents are  broadcasting their digital signal on the channel from which they will be  broadcasting after the transition. Approximately 9  percent of survey respondents will have to move to a completely new  channel once the transition is complete. Nine Percent of Stations Responding to the Survey Are Not Broadcasting Digitally, but Almost All Stations Plan to Have a Digital Signal by February 17, 2009

Our survey of broadcast stations found that 97 stations, or 9 percent, are  not broadcasting a digital signal. According to FCC, stations that are not currently transmitting a digital  signal either (1) were granted a license to operate a digital signal along  with their analog signal but have yet to begin broadcasting digitally or   (2) were not given a digital license and plan to turn off their analog signal  at the same time that they turn on their digital signal—known as “flash  cutting.” According to our survey, 5 percent (61 stations) of the stations  indicated that they plan to flash cut to a digital-only broadcast. Furthermore, 64 percent of the flash cutters responding to our  survey noted that they need to order equipment to complete their digital  facilities. Other stations  responding to our survey indicated that they have coordination issues to  resolve prior to completing the transition, such as the U.S. government  reaching agreements with the Canadian and Mexican governments and  coordinating with cable providers and satellite companies. Technical issues that some stations need to address include (1) antenna  and equipment replacement or relocation and (2) channel relocation. FCC states that 514 of these stations  will relocate their current digital channel to their analog channel. Other Issues, Such as Construction Scheduling and Financial Constraints, Might Affect Some Stations during Their Transition

The construction of broadcast towers or financial constraints might affect  some stations during their transition. At the time we  completed our survey, however, some broadcasters were waiting for FCC  decisions before they could finalize their transition plans. In its December 2007 third periodic review and order, FCC finalized a  number of actions to facilitate broadcasters’ completion of the DTV  transition. For example, the third periodic review and order addressed,  among other things, (1) time frames for television stations to complete  construction of their digital facilities; (2) information all full-power  television stations must provide to FCC by February 19, 2008, detailing the  station’s current transition status, any additional steps needed to  commence its full, digital operations, and its timeline to meet the   February 17, 2009, transition deadline; (3) when and for how long  stations will be permitted to reduce or cease service on their analog or  paired digital channel; and (4) guidelines for rapid approval of minor  expansion of authorized service areas for stations that are moving their  digital channel for posttransition operations to allow these stations  additional flexibility to use their existing analog antenna. Some Broadcast Stations Required FCC Decisions Prior to Finalizing Their Digital Facilities

In our survey of broadcast stations, 128 respondents indicated they were  “awaiting action from FCC” to complete building their final digital  facilities. FCC noted that it believes  broadcasters have everything they need from the commission to proceed  with construction of their final digital facilities. FCC also provided  technical comments that we incorporated in this report where  appropriate. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The objectives of this report are to provide information on technical issues  surrounding the digital television (DTV) transition, specifically, (1) the  status of broadcast stations in transitioning to digital, (2) the extent to  which broadcast stations are encountering issues during the DTV  transition and how these issues impact the broadcast community, and   (3) the actions the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken  to guide broadcasters in the DTV transition and how those actions have  affected the broadcast community. Of the 1,682  broadcast stations that were asked to complete the survey, we received  1,122 completed surveys, for an overall response rate of 66.7 percent.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005, requires all full-power television stations in the United States to cease analog broadcasting by February 17, 2009, known as the digital television (DTV) transition. Prior to the transition date, the television broadcast industry must take a series of actions to ensure that over-the-air programming will continue to be available to television households once the transition is complete. For example, broadcast stations must obtain, install, and test the necessary equipment needed to finalize their digital facilities, and some stations will need to coordinate the movement of channels on the day the analog signal ceases transmission. This requested report examines (1) the status of broadcast stations in transitioning to digital, (2) the extent to which broadcast stations are encountering issues, and (3) the actions the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken to guide broadcasters in the digital transition. To address these issues, GAO conducted a Web-based survey of full-power television broadcast stations. GAO surveyed 1,682 stations and obtained completed questionnaires from 1,122 stations, for a response rate of 66.7 percent. GAO also reviewed legal, agency, and industry documents and interviewed public, private, and other stakeholders. We provided FCC with a draft of this report, and FCC provided technical comments that we incorporated where appropriate.

What GAO Found

Television broadcast stations have made substantial progress in transitioning to digital television, with the vast majority already transmitting a digital signal. Approximately 91 percent of the 1,122 full-power stations responding to our survey are currently transmitting a digital signal, with approximately 68 percent of survey respondents transmitting their digital signal at full strength and 68 percent transmitting their digital signal on the channel from which they will broadcast after the transition date. However, some stations still need to complete construction of their final digital facilities, and others need to relocate their digital channel to complete the transition. For example, 23 percent of survey respondents indicated they will be moving their digital channel to their analog channel. In addition, other stations need to move to a completely new channel. While almost all full-power stations are already broadcasting a digital signal, 9 percent of stations responding to our survey indicated that they are not currently broadcasting digitally. Almost all of these stations, however, indicated that they plan to have their digital signal operational by February 17, 2009. Some stations, including those already broadcasting a digital signal, need to resolve various technical, coordination, or other issues before their transition to digital is complete. For example, over 13 percent of stations responding to our survey reported that they need to install or relocate their digital or analog antennas. Some of these stations still need to order equipment, such as antennas, to build their final digital facilities. Furthermore, stations may have coordination issues to address to complete their final digital facilities. In particular, some stations are awaiting agreements with the Canadian and Mexican governments regarding their signals crossing the borders of these respective countries before they can complete their digital facilities. Stations also need to coordinate with cable providers and satellite companies to ensure that cable and satellite facilities receive digital signals when the analog signals are turned off. Lastly, the construction of broadcast towers or financial constraints might affect some stations during their transition. FCC's actions have provided guidance to broadcasters throughout the digital transition, but at the time we completed our survey, some broadcasters were awaiting FCC decisions. Since 1987, FCC has directed broadcasters with a series of rulemakings and orders, including assigning digital broadcast channels and developing timelines for the construction of digital facilities. Furthermore, FCC has conducted periodic reviews of the transition and released a ruling on its third periodic review on December 31, 2007, in which FCC addressed a number of important DTV issues. However, some stations responded to our survey that they needed decisions from FCC, such as approval for a construction permit or for changes to their final digital channel. According to FCC, it will address remaining issues quickly and with the release of an order in March 2008, FCC stated that it believes broadcasters have everything they need from the commission to proceed with construction of their final digital facilities.