FCC Orders Analog TV Warnings
By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 5/7/2007
WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a ruling that will require consumer electronics retailers to post warning labels on any legacy analog-only TV sets they continue to sell out of inventory by May 25.
Although the Commission has already ordered that all new sets, VCRs, DVD recorders and other television receivers to include digital ATSC tuners as of March 1, 2007 — making them "digital television" devices — a number of retailers continue to sell last year's leftover analog-only models.
The FCC's order now requires all brick-and-mortar stores, direct-mail merchants and online retailers that continue to sell analog TVs to post consumer alerts on or near those sets.
The warning, which begins, "This television receiver has only an analog broadcast tuner and will require a converter box after Feb. 17, 2009," must also clearly inform buyers that the sets won't receive broadcasts after February 2009 if not connected to a cable, satellite or DTV converter.
(For more on this ruling see www.TWICE.com.)
