Many cable companies have a government-mandated monopoly. In exchange, they offer "basic cable" which was supposed to be a modestly priced service that includes little more than you could receive over the air. With the advent of DTV, does basic cable grow to include high-definition television? Of course not! Cable companies now charge more for you to receive lower-quality signals than you can receive over the airwaves. They also require you to rent an HD set-top box. If you have an HDTV manufactured in recent years, you can get it free over the air. Also, most of the local stations in DC offer more than one programming feed over the air. Cable companies charge extra for those same free signals.
WUSA and WRC are changing their frequencies on June 12, so be sure to scan through on your HDTV/receiver. Others may be changing, but information is not easy to find on their sites.
WUSA and WRC are changing their frequencies on June 12, so be sure to scan through on your HDTV/receiver. Others may be changing, but information is not easy to find on their sites.
| Station/Affiliation | Old Analog Number | Digital Channel | Programming, Format | Online Listings | Reponse to questions? |
| WRC/NBC | 4 | 48 (674-680 MHz UHF) | 4.1 HD 1080i 16:9 |
No | no response |
| WTTG/FOX | 5 | 36 (602-608 MHz UHF) | Single DTV channel 720p 16:9 |
No | Fullest, fastest response to email inquiry. |
| WJLA/ABC | 7 | 39 (620-626 MHz UHF) | 7.1 HD 720p 16:9 7.2 Weather 480i 4:3 7.3 Classic TV 480i 4:3 |
No | no response |
| WUSA/CBS | 9 | 34 (590-596 MHz UHF) | 9.1 HD 1080i 16:9 9.2 Weather 480i 4:3 Transitioning back to VHF channel 9 on June 12th. |
No | no response |
| WFDC | 14 | 14.1 480i 4:3 | ? | ||
| WDCA | 20 | 35 (596-602 MHz) | 20.1 HD 720p 16:9 | Yes | |
| WETA/PBS | 26 Analog goodnight 6/12/2009 |
27 (548-554 MHz) | 26.1 HD |
Yes | Reponded, but without frequency information. |
| WHUT | 32 | 33 (584-590 MHz) | 32.1 480i 4:3 | Yes | |
| WDCW | 50 | 51 | ? | unreceivable |