[1] All remaining analogue and digital terrestrial television signals across Canada broadcasting within the 600 MHz band were scheduled to either move out of the 600 MHz band or shut down no later than 2022 under an ISED schedule published in 2017;[2] however, a number of analogue stations in smaller markets continue to operate as of December 2022.
[3] The digital television transition in Canada and the United States will result in spectrum on channels 52 to 69 being re-allocated for other purposes.
The United States government, using some proceeds of the spectrum auction, funded an education campaign in advance of the transition, provided subsidies to many broadcasters in support of transitioning to digital, and provided subsidies to consumers for digital to analogue converter boxes.
[4][5] Some of the highest costs were for existing full-power VHF rebroadcast transmitters that would have to be replaced by new UHF facilities in locations far from broadcast studios.
While CTV threatened to shut down a long list of these full-power rebroadcasters on August 31, 2009, as of 2011[update] the transmitters are still on the air.
Several broadcasters, including the CBC, argued that there is no viable business case for a comprehensive digital conversion strategy in Canada.
The US financial crisis and subsequent 2008 recession adversely affected advertising sales, the primary source of revenue for most broadcasters.
The CBC stated that it does not intend on transitioning any of its full-power repeaters to digital, despite in some cases being in markets (such as Kitchener, London and Saskatoon) required to convert by August 31, 2011.
CITY-TV was the first Canadian station to provide digital terrestrial service, first broadcasting in January 2003, and going full-time in March 2003.
The first HD broadcast in Canada was CBC Sports' coverage of the Heritage Classic, an outdoor NHL game.
The first stations to complete the digital transition (on their main signals) were Trois-Rivières, Quebec's CFKM-DT, followed by CISA-DT in Lethbridge, Alberta.
In the case of CTV's Access transmitters, the network chose to shut them down at the transition deadline rather than converting them to digital.
[17] When the CRTC made this announcement, the CBC communicated that it planned on requesting an extension to remain broadcasting in analogue past the August 31, 2012 deadline.
Although the majority of the over-the-air transmitters that were planned to be converted to digital made this conversion by August 31, 2011, a handful of stations had delays and were permitted to remain broadcasting in analogue.
Requested changes included the following (note that this is a list of applications to the CRTC and does not reflect what the CRTC has approved or what has been implemented): Most stations have announced no plans for converting or shutting down analogue transmitters outside mandatory markets required to transition to digital by August 31, 2011, but here are some exceptions: The 700 MHz band, occupying channels 52 to 69, occupied by television transmitters, is being re-allocated for mobile telecommunications devices and public safety communication.
On August 22, 2011, the United States' Federal Communications Commission announced a freeze on all future applications for broadcast stations requesting to use channel 51,[19] to prevent adjacent-channel interference to the 700 MHz band.
On December 16, 2011, Industry Canada placed a moratorium on future television stations using Channel 51 for broadcast use, to prevent adjacent-channel interference to the 700 MHz band.