Has the FCC set a date to shut off old TV signals?

Tracking MB Docket No. 16-142 · last checked October 29, 2026

Status

Not yet. The decision is pending.

No shutoff date has been adopted. Today’s rule still stands: any full-power or Class A station that switches to NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) must keep an old-format (ATSC 1.0) version of its main channel on the air, and that requirement has no end date. The FCC is expected to rule by the end of 2026.

The FCC posts each monthly meeting’s agenda about three weeks ahead; we check every one. Next open meeting: November 19, 2026. We’ll update this page within an hour of an order.

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The three ways this can go

1. A fixed national shutoff date (what broadcasters want)

Old-format signals end on set dates — the broadcasters asked for February 2028 in the 55 largest markets and February 2030 everywhere else. Every TV without a 3.0 tuner in a market would need a converter box by that date. This is the closest repeat of the 2009 digital switch, so far without a coupon program.

2. Each station decides (what the FCC proposed)

No national date. Stations could drop their old-format signal whenever they judge their viewers are ready, so channels might go dark on older TVs one at a time, at different times, in different markets. This is the hardest case for viewers to track — and why we watch station filings, not just the FCC.

3. Something in between

The FCC could pair station choice with guardrails — a minimum notice period, a requirement that new TVs include 3.0 tuners, labels on sets that lack one, or limits on encryption. It asked about all of these.

What the FCC is weighing

  • Whether to keep requiring stations to simulcast in the old format, and for how long
  • Whether to adopt the broadcasters’ fixed-date plan
  • Whether every new TV sold should have to include an ATSC 3.0 tuner, and when
  • Warning labels on TVs that can’t receive 3.0
  • Encryption (DRM) on 3.0 broadcasts, which affects DVRs, network tuners and recording
  • How cable and satellite companies carry 3.0 stations
  • How to keep free over-the-air TV available in every home, and how 3.0 devices might be paid for

Who’s on which side: broadcasters (the NAB, Pearl TV and state broadcaster associations) want a fixed date. The Consumer Technology Association, cable and satellite companies have opposed one. Many smaller and low-power stations oppose a 2028 shutoff.

How we got here

  1. November 2017
    The FCC allows stations to broadcast in ATSC 3.0 on a voluntary basis — but any station that switches must keep its main channel on the air in the old format by partnering with another local station.
  2. June 2023
    The FCC extends two side rules — that the old-format copy carry the same programming, and a 3.0 technical standard — to July 17, 2027. The underlying requirement to keep an old-format signal has no end date.
  3. February 2025
    The National Association of Broadcasters asks the FCC to require full-power stations in the 55 largest markets to end old-format broadcasts in February 2028, and everywhere else in February 2030, with limited waivers for smaller, independent and noncommercial stations.
  4. October 28, 2025
    The FCC votes unanimously to open a new rulemaking. It tentatively concludes that each station should be allowed to decide when to stop broadcasting in the old format, sets no fixed shutoff date, and asks for comment on the broadcasters' plan, a 3.0 tuner requirement for new TVs, and more.
  5. November 2025 – early 2026
    The proposal is published in the Federal Register and the public comment rounds run. Broadcasters press for a fixed date; TV makers, cable and satellite companies push back.
  6. April 2026
    Pearl TV, a broadcaster group, announces an effort to bring NextGen TV converter boxes under $60 to market.
  7. By the end of 2026
    Final FCC decision expected.

What to do while you wait

  1. Don’t buy anything yet unless you want NextGen features now. No date exists, and cheaper boxes are promised. Converter box guide.
  2. Find out if your TV already has a 3.0 tuner. Some higher-end sets made since 2020 do; most budget TVs don't. Tuner check.
  3. Check your stations. Some have already moved their old-format channel to a partner station; a rescan brings it back.

Sources