DTV converter coupon program out of money – citizens forced to enter this century on their own

Waiting for your coupon? Too bad (AP Photo) 

Unless you’ve been living in a Ukrainian town populated by Whopper Virgins, you are no doubt aware that the digital TV conversion is just about a month away.

For well over a year the viewing public has been bombarded with all manner of reminders that after February 17, you will be staring at a blank TV screen if you have an analog TV that is not on a cable or satellite network.

The United States government – as they are wont to do – legislated ‘help’ upon the citizenry via the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is running a coupon program to help defray the cost of the needed converter boxes.

Since its inception, the $1.34 billion coupon program (folks are eligible for two $40 coupons per household) has been as efficiently run as… well… any other government program.

First, the coupons were printed with a 90-day expiration date and many consumers complained about the lack of boxes at many of their area retailers.

Conspiracy theorists agreed that retailers would naturally be sold-out of the boxes so they could sell you a thousand dollar flat screen instead of a converter box in the $50 - $70 range.

Next came a lack of coupon redemption. As late as last fall, NTIA reported that of the 21.3 million coupons that had been mailed, only 6.6 million had been redeemed. At the same time, more than 4 million coupons had expired.

Now, with coupon requests at record highs, the program is broke and the Commerce Department has begun to accumulate a waiting list, and those on it may not get one before analog TV screens go blank.

Congress can vote to increase the funding for the program, but we all know that our elected officials only act quickly on matters that will guarantee face time on the Sunday talking head shows or at one of the 392 inaugural balls.

At last count, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration noted that Texas was the number one state for coupon requests with California at number two.

My guess would have been Bugtussle, Hooterville and Bedford Falls.

Look at it this way: if you haven’t solved your forthcoming TV problem by now, television is not your main avenue of contact with the outside world.