Why Did the FCC Force Analog TV Stations to Shut Down?

In this video I talk about the main reason the FCC forced analog TV stations to convert to digital. Many people believe that the digital signals don't travel as far as analog - so why was it shut off? Was it a conspiracy to get people to subscribe to cable or satellite services?

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[frisco]

The conversion from analog to cable was all about money and control. During analog times, we were told that advertisements were the price we had to pay to have free television. I currently pay nearly 200 bucks a month for cable TV, and I'm forced to endure more advertisements than ever before. We were lied to, and this really pisses me off.

[acoustic]

I think the FCC is hell bent on selling every last hertz to the cell phone industry. And not because it will benefit the public but corporate lobbies buying government officials. IMO, any TV channels using public airwaves should also be required to stream free over the internet.

[StumpfsCurse]

We frequently lose tv signal now when there's bad weather near. That's the one time you'd want to tune in to the local channel to see if there's a tornado coming towards your neighborhood.

[radiotec]

Keeping the VHF Low spectrum for analogue TV in mountainous areas is a good idea but you have to remember that the FCC does not serve the public but works for the telecom companies and would rather sell spectrum to cell phone providers than serve the greater public good.

[happycows]

Do you remember the old black and white televisions? Do you remember how when you turned them off that the circle kept getting smaller in the middle of the television screen? Do you remember how the National Anthem played at the end of the night and then static would play? I remember.

[slusheewolf]

As an adult, I'm a gamer instead of a TV watcher. The last time I watched the TV show was in 2018. And the show ended so I got nothing to watch left.
The issue with analogue TV affecting me is that when I was a kid, it was a prevalent part of my life.

[jeffconn]

AM radio has a HUGE reach. Some AM stations can reach across many states over hundreds of miles. And who needs (or wants) an upgrade in the first place? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[darryldeclue]

I still say analog was better, I’m still on a antenna, and whenever the weather changes, I start to loose channels, with analog, it could be storming, hail, didn’t matter, I never lost a signal

[oneandy]

"Everyone owns the airwaves. That's why we're forcing you to shut down so we can sell those airwaves to cell phone companies."

[bobhamilton]

Back in analog days we got 3 Baltimore stations and 5 Washington DC stations. We also got a local NBC channel. Now we get one digital local channel that went from NBC to 3 wacko channels. We get zero mainstream channels and cannot receive any channels from DC and Baltimore. To me digital is the worst thing that ever happened to TV. Forces one to get cable or DSL.

[bluegirlgraphics]

What I miss about analog is the fact at one time, if the atmosphere was right, I'd pick up weird channels from other places. I live in TX and used to sometimes get channels as far away as OK, LA and I think NM once. Can't do that with digital :P

[Nicholas_Chris]

The TV isn't distracting it's just nostalgic. Brings memories from the good old days when a channel even if it had a little static it was watchable and with a good antenna not only you got great picture but you could receive channels from far away (especially during summer and sometimes winter) The digital TV either works or not. Both analog and digital have their own advantages and disadvantages.

[rflberg]

Poor quality analog tv signal beats a poor quality digital signal any day.

[pizzamon]

I like how you could flip through the channels very quickly, with digital it takes a second or two to load each channel.

[slackhackman]

I miss the days when stations would sign off with the nation anthem 'Thus concludes another fine broadcasting day!' the sad native American.

[safepethaven]

As with everything else at least in the US, "FOLLOW THE MONEY"!

[medexamtoolscom]

In a few weeks? They did that in 2009. I remember the good old days, when my television worked. When I had a TV-VCR that I could just record quality content I actually wanted to see off the air waves and watch it later. Those were the days. Sadly it seems progress is regressing.

[jimcrigler]

This makes the Weird Al movie UHF even more nostalgic.

[metalstephie]

The reason was to shut off public access. Anyone with a big enough antenna could broadcast their message.

[JMDinOKC]

I agree with previous posts: the US government is acting as muscle for big corporate interests whose social consciousness is approximately none.