Digital TV Transition Outreach

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SEARAC is proud to partner with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) Education Fund, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Urban League, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) in a shared effort to let people know about the upcoming digital television (DTV) transition and how it will affect different communities.

On February 17, 2009, TV in the United States goes digital. This means that starting on February 17, 2009, the way television signals are transmitted will change. Most TV stations will start to use a digital-only format. The DTV transition will take place because Congress passed a law that requires TV stations to switch to using digital-only signals.

SEARAC is involved with the DTV issue because the people who will be most affected by the DTV transition include people with limited English and people who are low-income. Without cable, satellite, a digital TV set, or a converter box, many Asian American households will not be able to watch TV after the DTV transition. However, there are basic steps people can take to make sure that they can continue to watch TV after the DTV transition takes place.