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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is announcing that some Columbus, OHTV stations have changed or are changing frequencies in order to make more airwaves available for new 5G and other mobile broadband services.More than 1,000 television stations nationwide are changing frequencies between now and July 2020. This transition affects the tens of millions of U.S. households who watch over-the-air television.
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For viewers who watch television over the air with an antenna, they will need to rescan their television setst o continue to receive local TV channels that changed their frequencies.Changing frequencies doesn’t mean the channels themselves are changing.
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TV stations that have already changed frequencies in the affected markets have notified viewers by airing public service announcements and on-screen messages.
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In many markets,TV channels will be changing frequencies at different times. Therefore, consumers should be on the lookout for public service announcements from their local stations telling them when they need to rescan their TVs. Therefore, there is a possibility that viewers may need to rescan their set multiple times, depending on when stations change their frequencies.
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To rescan, viewers will need to find “auto tune” or “rescan”in the “setup” menu of their TV or converter box remote control. Consumers that subscribe to cable or satellite TV do not need to rescan; their provider will do it for them.
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If consumers need further assistance, they can visit www.fcc.gov/TVrescan or call 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) and press “6” to speak with a dedicated help desk representative, seven days a week, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. (EDT).