With the February 17, 2009 switchover to digital television scarcely more than a month away, Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee have proposed putting another $650 million in to the government’s coupon program to enable over-the-air TV viewers to get $40 towards the purchase of a digital TV converter. The converter coupon allocation is barely a line item in a 13-page summary (PDF) of proposed expenditures and investments in the representative’s proposed economic stimulus legislation.
Tag Archive: converter
Digital TV Converter Coupons Running Low
At this point, it’s fair to assume most U.S. television viewers have heard that analog television broadcasts are due to shut off on February 17, 2009, and that if folks want to continue receiving over-the-air broadcasts they need to either get a newer TV with a digital tuner, or buy a converter box they can hook up to their old TVs to receive digital signals. The good news is that the U.S. government set aside some funds to subsidize the purchase of those converter boxes: for the asking, U.S. citizens can get a $40 voucher toward the purchase of a digital TV converter. The bad news? The government is running out of vouchers, meaning that not everyone who needs financial assistance converting over to DTV may not be able to get it.
Digital TV Converters Coming to Retailers
Retailers are getting ready to begin offering the U.S. public digital television converter boxes so Americans can keep watching their beloved old-school analog televisions when analog television broadcasts are finally terminated on February 17, 2009. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has announced that more than 100 consumer electronics retailers (including Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, Radio Shack, Sears, Target and Sam’s Club) have been certified to participate in the TV Converter Box Coupon Program. Although a few retailers are already offering converter boxes, most retailers will start on the digital TV converter bandwagon in February 2008, one year ahead of the analog TV shut-off.
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