In less than a year from now, analog TV sent over the air will go dark. Many of us know this already, and it is seen as a positive change by a lot of groups. This includes some behemoths such as Verizon and Google who are currently squabbling over a chunk of the spectrum that will become available when this happens.
On more realistic ground, however, the FCC and others are worried. A large number of people in the U.S. still rely on over-the-air TV, and in less than a year from now they will find themselves with nothing but static. In light of this, the FCC has adopted guidelines on how to get everyone informed as to what is going on. This week they released those guidelines, encouraging all broadcasters to adopt them and put them into place.
The recommended methods range from public service announcements to scrolling screen tickers, such as many U.S. residents are already familiar with in the emergency broadcast system. Aside from broadcasters, the winners of the various pieces of the 700MHz auction will also be required to tell the FCC how they are educating the people it will impact.