Hawaii goes digital early for an endangered bird

While Hawaii tends to be behind the trend when it comes to technological advances, the state’s digital TV initiative is ahead of the curve, thanks to an endangered bird. The Hawaiian dark-rumped petrel, a volcano-dwelling bird that makes its home on the slopes of Maui’s Haleakala, is quickly approaching its nesting season, which prompted rangers to request an early analog to digital TV conversion date so that analog transmission towers can be taken down.

On Thursday, January 15 all analog-based televisions on Hawaii were deactivated and now require digital converter boxes. Hawaii and the rest of the nation is changing over to an all-digital TV system because of a mandate issued by Congress to free airwaves. The rest of the nation will go digital on February 17.


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