DTV converter coupons
running out

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Congress mandated Feb. 17 as the day all broadcast signals switch from analog to digital in order to free up public airwaves for other uses by police and fire departments. However, the government is warning consumers they may be out of luck if they have not yet gotten a voucher to subsidize the cost of a converter box.

The switch affects about 15 percent of the population, who rely on over-the-air signals to watch television. Those who have cable, satellite or a telephone company as a provider for television do not need a converter box, because the provider will make the switch for the customer. Those who do not have one of these services need to either get a new TV with a built-in digital tuner or get a DTV converter box for their existing analog set.

There is a government program giving out $40 coupons to subsidize the converter boxes. However, due to the flood of last-minute requests for those coupons, the $1.34 million Congress set aside for the program could run out by the end of this week, according to the Department of Commerce .

Officials recommend applying for a subsidized coupon as soon as possible, but if funds run out, it does not mean converter boxes will run out. There are about 60 models of converter boxes to choose from, and the cost ranges between $40 and $90.

Those with questions about the DTV conversion can attend six DTV demonstrations happening Tuesday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• In Taylor at the Public Library on Vance Street.
• In Llano at Lantex Theater on Main.
• In Bastrop at the LCRA Riverside Conference Center on Willow Street.
• In Fredericksburg at the Nimitz Museum Community Room.
• In Bee Caves at the Bee Cave Public Library in the Hill Country Galleria.
• In Austin at the Univision Studios on North Loop.

Applications for a DTV converter box coupon can be found here .

With the switch to digital broadcasting six weeks away, Central Texans are still trying to get DTV ready. U.S. Congressman Mike Conaway's district office in Llano has been fielding dozens of questions from constituents over the conversion.

"Our district has had lots of phone calls," said Conaway's Field Representative Helen Kirby. She has printed up applications from the Internet so people can request the $40 converter box vouchers from the government. "In the rural areas you have farmers and ranchers that can't get cable and may not have satellite," said Kirby. "You also have the elderly who can't get on a computer."

It will be even harder to get a box, because the federal government ran out of money to cover the cost of the coupons. With the deadline drawing near, they have received a rash of requests. Sunday, the Department of Commerce resorted to a waiting list which already includes more than 100,000 names. While the government waits for lawmakers to approve more funding, they are counting on expired coupons to free up money.

"If you've ordered coupons and they've expired, you're out of luck for yourself and your household," said DTV Outreach Program director Louis Sigalos. If you do not want to wait for the coupon, you can pay for a box out of your own pocket. They cost $40 to $90.