From Analog to Digital: How the Upcoming TV Switch Will Create an E-waste Nightmare
Each year millions of tons of e-waste are thrown into land fills, and that amount could skyrocket in 2009 as a law comes into effect requiring television broadcasters to transition completely from analog to digital broadcasting (DTV).
Broadcasters have used analog broadcasting, which uses magnetic waves to send the information you see on analog TV screens, since televisions were invented in the 1920s. However, in 1996, Congress passed a bill requiring that all broadcasters switch to digital broadcasting by February of 2009. With digital broadcasting, information is sent in small data bits, enabling broadcasters to send more information on a smaller group of frequencies.
While the switch will free up valuable airwaves for public safety uses – making more communications lines open for first responders, for example – many fear that the planet will pay a high cost for the switch, as people throw out their analog TVs to buy sets equipped to receive digital broadcasting.
After February 18, 2009, any television not equipped to receive signals will no longer receive broadcasts. Current subscribers to broadcast satellite service and digital cable should be unaffected by the switch. However, if you’re in one of the nearly 20 million households that rely solely on over-the-air television signals (meaning you simply use your antenna to watch TV), the analog signals you receive will stop on February 18, 2009.
If you’re afraid you have a soon-to-be obsolete TV, don’t dump you old set just yet.
First, Check Your Television – many TVs made after 2003 were equipped with digital tuners. If your TV has a digital tuner, you’ll be set in 2009. Look for labels on your TV that include the words: “Integrated Digital Tuner,” or “Digital Tuner Built-In.” The word receiver many be substituted for tuner. (Note that a TV labeled as having a digital, high digital, or digital-ready monitor does not mean it has a digital tuner.)
Federal law requires that all televisions shipped to retailers after March 2007 have digital tuners. However, older analog TVs continue to be sold in stores.
If your TV isn’t equipped with a digital tuner, you’ll still be able to use it, but you’ll need a set-top converter box that will convert the digital signal to play on your analog screen.
According to government estimates, converters will likely cost between $50-$75; however, after January, 2008, every household will be eligible to receive two vouchers, valued at $40 each, to use towards the purchase of a converter. For more information about the Digital-to-Along Converter box Assistance Program, visit www.dtv.gov, a government Web site that answers questions about the digital television transition. While getting a converter box will enable you to keep your analog TV, it won’t provide the increased picture and sound quality of digital broadcasting.
It is vital that the government spur the development of e-waste recycling programs in preparation for the millions of TVs that are likely to be discarded after the switch to digital. The FCC will soon embark on a massive public education campaign to raise awareness about the transition – don’t wait until 2009 to tell it how important it is to include recycling in its plans.
In addition to contacting the FCC, you can help hold electronics manufacturers and retailers accountable for how their products are discarded. Sony Electronics, which controls the largest market share of TV sales in the US, recently teamed up with Waste Management to offer a free take-back program for all Sony Electronics in the US (for details visit www.sony.com/recycle). Sony is the first television manufacturer to offer such a program for consumers, and Co-op America is calling on others follow its lead – especially since these companies are now making millions of dollars selling us new TVs.
Whenever you shop for new TV, recycle you old TV set.
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