FCC prevents some stations from turning off their analog transmitters; almost 500 planned to do so

Television stations were supposed to end analog broadcasts tomorrow, until Congress voted to extend the deadline to June 12. But the extension also allowed stations to stop analog broadcasting, and almost 500 stations planned to do so. Now the Federal Communications Commission is telling some stations that they can't shut down the old signals just yet.

"Wednesday night, the FCC said that it would not allow 123 stations to switch next week, saying it was worried that in some markets all the major commercial stations or network affiliates were planning on turning off analog signals," wrote Kim Hart of The Washington Post. This move comes highlights concerns that those unprepared for switch to digital will be left without access to important alerts. UPDATE, Feb. 17: Television Week reports that the FCC gave the go-ahead to additional stations, bringing to 421 the total that will stop analog signals at midnight.

Before stations are allowed to switch, they must demonstrate that at least one other station in their market is still broadcasting in analog, and continue to keep an analog signal available for information about the transition and emergencies for 30 additional days. Even with these restrictions, it is expected that more than 350 analog transmitters will go dark at midnight Tuesday. (Read more)