Two sides to this coin. The government is mandating the move from analog to digital.
TV is a luxury. The government is mandating the shift to digital. They are not mandating a purchase of a new TV. That is completely up to the consumer of the luxury service. Digital capable TVs have been available since at least 2004. Most analog only TVs should be near the end of their service life.
I rarely watch any broadcast TV. If not for the media fanfare and demagoguery, I wouldn't even notice the demise. Today was the shutdown day for analog cellular phone service. I didn't hear lots of screams about that one.