Will my TV stop working in Providence-New Bedford?
Providence-New Bedford · market #53 of 210
No, not yet — and nothing has changed in your market.
- Stations already on NextGen TV (3.0)
- 0 of 9
- Proposed shutoff of old (1.0) signals
- February 2028
- Wave 1 · NAB proposal, not yet adopted by the FCC
- Earliest the rules could change
- July 2027
- Current FCC rule keeps 1.0 simulcasts through July 17, 2027
What this means today: every full-power station in Providence-New Bedford is still sending a signal your current antenna TV can receive.
What’s coming: broadcasters have asked the FCC to let stations in the 55 largest markets switch off old-format signals starting February 2028. If that happens, TVs without an ATSC 3.0 tuner will need a converter box to keep receiving these channels. The FCC is expected to decide by the end of 2026.
Every station in Providence-New Bedford
“On 3.0” means the station’s programming is available in NextGen TV format. “3.0 host” means the station’s transmitter carries the new format only, and its old-format programming moved to another station’s signal (rescan to find it). Source: FCC licensing records.
| Ch. | Station | Network | NextGen TV | Old (1.0) signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | WRIW-CD Providence, RI · Class A | Telemundo | 1.0 only | Still on the air |
| — | WVMA-CD Hartford, CT · Class A | Retro TV | 1.0 only | Still on the air |
| 6 | WLNE-TV New Bedford, MA | ABC | 1.0 only | Still on the air |
| 10 | WJAR Providence, RI | NBC | 1.0 only | Still on the air |
| 12 | WPRI-TV Providence, RI | CBS, myNetwork | 1.0 only | Still on the air |
| 28 | WLWC New Bedford, MA | Court TV | 1.0 only | Still on the air |
| 36 | WPVD-TV Providence, RI | PBS | 1.0 only | Still on the air |
| 64 | WNAC-TV Providence, RI | FOX, CW, Antenna TV | 1.0 only | Still on the air |
| 69 | WPXQ-TV Newport, RI | ION Laff Busted Bounce Game Show Central HSN QVC | 1.0 only | Still on the air |
2 low-power stations in this market (not covered by the proposed shutoff rules)
- WYCN-LD (8)
- W26FS-D (35)
What to do now
- Rescan your TV. If a channel disappeared recently, it probably moved to a host station’s signal. Settings → Channels → Auto scan.
- Find out if your TV already has a 3.0 tuner. Use the tuner check. If it does, you’re done.
- Don’t buy a converter box yet unless you want 3.0 features now. Prices are falling and the FCC hasn’t set a date. We’ll tell you when it’s time.