• Font Size    
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

3 On Your Side: DTV Coupon Program Out Of Money

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +
Jan 5, 2009 4:00 pm US/Eastern

3 On Your Side: DTV Coupon Program Out Of Money

Reporting
Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― Here's some very important information if you watch television the old fashioned way with a rooftop antenna or rabbit ears.

As we've been telling you for months now, you'll need to make some changes in order to prepare for the switch to digital coming in February.

One option is to apply for coupons to help pay for converter boxes. The coupons are good for $40 off each box. But that option has hit a snag.

The government announced Monday they've run out of money to issue the coupons. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration was given $1.3 billion to issue these coupons.

But what do they have left? Nothing.

As of Sunday, the program ran out of money. Now when people apply for the coupons, you're put on a waiting list.

For instance, when you apply online, you'll get a response that you've been approved but have to wait. For now, the government will issue coupons only after those that have been previously mailed out, but not used, expire.

"I know that congress is talking about trying to provide additional resources just over the next few weeks to make sure that the coupon program can continue to issue coupons on a timely basis," said FCC chairman Kevin Martin.

So if you haven't ordered your coupons yet, you need to do so Monday. The longer you wait, the lower down you will be on the waiting list, which in one day already has 103,000 people on it.

Not only that, but earlier Monday, CBS-3 learned during a conference call with the NTIA that demand for the digital converter boxes themselves could out pace the supply by as many as 2.5 million!

So if they're saying the boxes could run out, you may want to buy one, even without a coupon. It will cost you more, but at least you'll have one TV set that will work come February 17.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Special Reports

Top News Stories

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.