DTV coupons: Join the waiting list, says NTIA

If you haven't applied for your $40 coupons for DTV converter boxes yet, you could be out of luck. The government-backed coupon program has run out of money.

The NTIA announced today that "because of the high demand" for DTV converter box coupons, the program has reached its $1.34 billion ceiling for coupons ordered and redeemed.

If you apply for a coupon now at www.dtv2009.gov , you'll be put on a waiting list and given a reference number to track the order status. Coupons will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis as funds from "expired coupons" become available. It's expected that some 6 million coupons will expire within the next few months.

With only 43 days left before the Feb. 17 deadline, it's highly unlikely that anyone requesting a coupon now will have it before the analog cutoff. The government is advising consumers who rely solely on free over-the-air TV to buy one box as soon as possible, without waiting for a coupon, so they aren't cut off once television broadcasts are all digital. If consumers do get a coupon in the months to come, they can use it to buy an additional converter box or two for other sets.

Joel Kelsey, an advocate for Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, is outraged that consumers now applying for coupons will be forced to spend their own money simply to continue getting the TV stations they've received for years. Even those who applied earlier can be left high and dry.

"Consumers who have already applied for coupons and never received them or those whose coupons expired before they could buy a box still won't be able to re-apply for new coupons," says Kelsey. As of Dec. 31, roughly 13 million of the 42 million coupons mailed had expired, according to the NTIA.

Consumers Union has tried to work with legislators since January 2008 to address problems with the DTV transition program. Kelsey has warned that the program was "melting down" and has been critical of the government's "glacial pace" in addressing problems.

If you want to weigh in with how problematic—or smoothly—this DTV transition has gone for you, feel free to do so at HearUsNow.org. Our advocates at Consumers Union may be able to help get your voice heard among our legislators and perhaps "change" will be something that we can believe in.

—Paul Eng

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Comments

[cassandra]

I REALLY THINK THIS IS REALLY DUMB I DONT KNOW WHY THIS IS WORTH ANYTHING I GO AGAINST THIS NONSENCE BECAUSE WE DID NOT NEED ONE BAD THEN AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THIS IS HAPPENING SORRY BUT NO

[Peter Sandholdt]

My "Coupons" expired, before any convertor boxes were available. I wrote the Govt. web site, and was told, "TOO BAD". I can not re-apply for any coupons, as my original ones had expired.

This is nothing more, than another Govt. "SCREW UP" THIS SUCKS!! It also tells you how efficient our Legislators are!!

Peter

[Holly Budane]

One overdue assistance would be to remove the expiration restrictions from old coupons. I still have two of them from last summer. I made an informed choice not to delay using them because the converter box prices were all over the place -- plus many retailers tried to bait and switch nameless brands for "out-of-stock" advertised models ,and I didn't want to find myself with a cheap piece of junk or, worse, an overpriced piece of junk that won't function properly come February 17th.

Removing the expiration dates would do no good for the many citizens who lost or threw out their expired rebate coupons, but it would at least be a hollow gesture of good faith by the federal government.

[John Buchmann]

There is an easy solution to this that does not require rework of the government systems. I am a retailer in the program. The NTIA simply needs to relax the rule that restricts retailers from redeeming coupons for prior converter box purchases. This is a hassle, yes, and it turns the coupon into more of a rebate than a coupon, but it would allow consumers to buy converters in time for the transition on the 17th of February without fear of missing out on the $40 value of the coupon. Retailers would take $40 up front, but with a receipt or via an online form for us online retailers, we could then refund the $40 upon redemption of a valid coupon a month or two down the line when the NTIA gets around to issuing it to the consumer. I think this is a reasonable solution to this inevitable problem.