Final Countdown Until DTV Transition--Are You Ready?
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Read about the upcoming transition to digital television.
By Andrew Pizor, Staff Attorney, National Consumer Law Center. This article originally appeared in the NSCLC Washington Weekly, 05/08/09
On June 12, 2009, all television stations in the United States will stop analog broadcasts.
Are You Ready?
Viewers do not need a converter box if the following situations apply:
--They receive cable, satellite, or similar services.
--They have a new television. New televisions must be designed to accept digital signals without a converter box. Since March 1, 2007 all televisions shipped in interstate commerce have been required to include digital tuners. Anyone selling an analog-only television after May 24, 2007 must disclose that the television does not have a digital tuner and needs a converter box.
People watching free television broadcasts over the air using an antenna, on TV sets having only analog tuners, will need to purchase a converter box to continue receiving free television. Low-income families and the elderly are believed to constitute the majority of households watching free television.
Get A Converter Box Coupon
Between January 1, 2008, and July 31, 2009, all U.S. households will be eligible to request up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to be used toward the purchase of up to two, digital-to-analog converter boxes. The coupons may only be used for eligible converter boxes sold at participating consumer electronics retailers, and the coupons must be used at the time of purchase. (Please note that these coupons will expire 90 days after mailing). Manufacturers estimate that digital-to-analog converter boxes will sell from $40 to $70 each. This is a one-time cost.
Anyone holding an unused coupon that has expired may request a replacement coupon. There are no income restrictions on eligibility for the Coupon Program.
Special Rules for LTC Residents
The Coupon Program regulations have special provisions for residents of assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and similar facilities. The original Program rules specifically prohibited the use of P.O. Boxes. That rule, combined with the limit of two coupons per household, raised concerns that many elderly and disabled television viewers would not be eligible for the coupons and would consequently not be able to watch television after the conversion deadline. To resolve this problem, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration amended the Program regulations by modifying the post office box rule and by creating an exception to the household rule. 73 Fed. Reg. 54325 (Sept. 19, 2008). The notice of the amendments includes an interesting discussion of the problems in defining “nursing home” and similar facilities. Residents, family members of residents, or administrators of nursing homes, intermediate care facilities, or assisted living facilities (as defined in the regulation at 47 C.F.R. § 301.2) may request coupons in the same matter as other households, but when applying by mail should use the Application for Nursing Home Residents, available at https://www.dtv2009.gov/NursingHome.aspx.
The nursing home form should be sent to a different address: P.O. Box 2530, Portland, OR 97208-2530.
Additional Information
For more information about the converter box program, see: https://www.dtv2009.gov/FAQ.aspx.
The FCC and Consumers Union have published a guide to the transition: DTV Made Easy, which is available in English or Spanish at http://www.dtv.gov/media_toolkit.html
The FCC also has one-page guides to DTV available in 30 languages at http://www.dtv.gov/media_toolkit.html
