Twin Ports Antenna-TV Users May Need To Rescan For Local Programming
A change in frequency for one of the local television stations in the Twin Ports may have left that signal unavailable to your TV set; a simple rescan can fix that issue. As part of their public service initiative, the Federal Communications Commission is alerting Duluth and Superior residents who use a regular broadcast antenna to receive "over-the-air" television that the frequency for KQDS-TV / FOX 21 has changed and the rescan will be necessary to continue to receive that signal. The switch-over was expected to happen at some point last month. People who subscribe to cable television or use other "non-broadcast"-subscription forms of receiving their programming won't be affected.
The frequency change for the local station is part of a larger, nationwide move by almost 1,000 television stations. In order to make room for new 5G and other mobile broadband services, these stations will be transitioning to new frequencies in phases through the end of July 2020. KQDS-TV is the only television station affected in the Duluth-Superior market.
Even as cable, satellite, and streaming services have become more common, the Federal Communications Commission shares that millions of households in the United States watch national network television programming using an over-the-air antenna. These broadcast television antennas remain as effective as they ever were - even if they aren't as visible anymore. (Up until 20 or 30 years ago, most households had a visible broadcast television antenna on rooftops)
If you need help re-scanning your television for the change, the Federal Communications Communion has provided a variety of helpful instruction sets and videos. Click here to access them.