The following is a brief of the full story. For the full version, see Tuesday's print edition of the Boonville Daily News.
The digital transition is a little over a month away. Are you ready?
Feb. 17 is the date when all television broadcast stations in the U.S. will switch from analog to digital broadcasting. Most newer televisions are already digitally equipped but if you own an older analog television and do not subscribe to satellite or cable, then a converter box will be necessary to receive any television broadcasting.
Consumers have been receiving coupons for digital converter boxes, but they need to make certain that those coupons are used before the expiration date. If not, the chances of getting another coupon issued may not be possible. The same goes for those who have not yet applied for the voucher.
Last week, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it has created a waiting list after reaching a $1.34 billion funding limit.
This means that if you have not received your coupon or worse, have not even applied for one yet, you will have to wait for someone else’s to expire before you have even a slight chance of receiving one. The current waiting list already has requests for 103,000 coupons.
The NTIA estimates that approximately 60 percent of all coupons issued have been redeemed and expects roughly 351,000 will expire each week through Feb. 17. If not redeemed it will then be re-issued to new applicants.
Boonville RadioShack owner Mark Livingston recommends not waiting until the last minute to get a converter box because supplies may be limited.
