said by Eat Me :

But they require FCC approval, so the FCC can say yea or nay.

On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission ordered stations that still plan to turn off analog signals on Feb. 17 to notify the FCC by Monday.

Acting Chairman Michael Copps said the commission could prohibit stations from making the switch if doing so is not in the public interest.

For instance, if all stations in a market want to turn off early, that would draw FCC scrutiny, he said at a commission meeting.

said by whocares :

WASHINGTON — With millions of U.S. viewers still apparently unprepared for the nation’s switch to digital TV, nearly 500 full-power television stations across the nation are preparing to move ahead with the transition anyway and drop traditional over-the-air broadcasts Feb. 17.

The loss of signals in those markets means that some viewers will no longer get television reception unless they have installed a digital converter box and, in some cases, purchased a new antenna.
Nielsen Co. has estimated that 6.5 million over-the-air households are unprepared for the “digital transition.” Elderly, Latino and low-income households are believed to be most affected.
“If we have a serious natural disaster and folks don’t have a TV on which to receive updates, that’s a problem,” said =============
»www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/tec···126.html

said by whocares :

“If we have a serious natural disaster and folks don’t have a TV on which to receive updates, that’s a problem,” said =============
»www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/tec···126.html

said by N10Cities :

Uhhh.....yea.....but they have to have PERMISSION from the FCC before they can switch anyway. If they do it without permission, they can be nailed with big $$$$$ fines. Your point?

said by JPL :

But they allocated $650 million? What's the extra $186 million for?