FCC Recommends That Viewers With DTV Reception Problems Try ‘Double Rescanning’ Their Digital Converter Box or Digital TV

6/17/2009
The FCC issued a Public Notice recommending that viewers having difficulty receiving any of the over-the-air digital television signals of stations in their area should “double rescan” their digital converter boxes or digital television sets.

The Public Notice can be found on the Commission’s website at the following link: FCC Home Page. Specifically, the FCC recommends that viewers should use the following five steps if they are having difficulty receiving certain local stations:

1. Disconnect their antennas from the converter box or digital TV;
2. Rescan the converter box or digital TV without the antenna connected;
3. Unplug the converter box or digital TV from the electrical outlet for at least one minute;
4. Reconnect the antenna to the converter box or digital TV and plug the unit back into the electrical outlet; and
5. Rescan the converter box or digital TV a second time to ensure that a “double rescan” takes place.

The FCC also noted that viewers might want to try different antenna locations in their homes including near a window, as high in a room as possible, away from other electronic equipment, pointing in a different direction, or to use a rooftop antenna in order to potentially provide better reception. It is important to note that after moving the antenna, viewers might need to run the scan function again on their converter boxes or digital TV sets.

Although not required by the FCC, we recommend that television stations consider placing a copy of the Public Notice on their websites to provide viewers with easy access to this and other information about antennas and converter boxes. Stations may also wish to consider providing a link to the FCC’s website at www.DTV.gov which has an “Install a Converter Box” summary that includes scanning tips.

Should you have any questions concerning this subject or the FCC’s Public Notice, please contact any of the attorneys in the Communications Section.

A PDF version of this article can be found at FCC Recommends That Viewers With DTV Reception Problems Try ‘Double Rescanning’ Their Digital Converter Box or Digital TV.