Digital TV subsidy program nearly dry: get your vouchers now
By Darren Murph 
posted Jan 5th 2009 2:15PM
posted Jan 5th 2009 2:15PM
[Via ShellyPalmerMedia]
Update: The well is dry! Yikes!
posted Jan 5th 2009 2:15PM
The amount of electronics thrown away rather than recycled in 2007.
The EPA reports that 82% of electronics disposal in 2007 ended up in the garbage (mostly landfills) rather than a recycling center. (source: EPA, July 2008)
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do they have battery powered converter boxes? for use on battery powered mini TV for emergencies.
Yes, but you'll have to do some shopping to find them. You may be better off just buying a new digital battery-operated TV.
I have a feeling a lot of these coupons were snatched up by people who had no clue about the transition, whether they needed a box or not. Or just for the hell of it.
Yeah, the majority of people just assume that the whole digital switch applies to them even though they already have cable or satellite tv. They blew this fiasco entirely out or proportion.
I did. I have two boxes I got from Best Buy, but don't use them anymore because my Tivo takes care of all that.
Maybe if all the sh!theads that didn't need the coupons had restrained themselves this wouldn't have happened.
/I'm looking at you Engadget readers
I bet about 80% of the people buying boxes already have cable or satellite TV. The ads and promotions designed to increase consumer awareness about the transition mention cable/satellite owners only as a footnote. The ads should start off as "Use Bunny Ears to Get TV? Sucks for you Feb 2009." and continue as "You can get Cable TV, Satellite TV or a converter box to fix the problem".
Another tragedy of our "entitlement" society. People hear that the government is going to give out "free" stuff and they're all over it. The tech geeks that knew about this early on snatched em up whether they needed them or not, they just wanted to get them cause they were "free" and "just in case" they needed them.
Now the poor people, the old people that actually really could use one of these things cant get one cause hundreds of thousands of cheap assholes who dont need them or otherwise could have afforded them anyway have two converter boxes gathering dust in their closet, "just in case."
Just tried. It said they're out of funding, so I won't get the coupon. Too late already.
This is so asinine, i know the government is all about handouts nowadays but seriously, they should not be subsidising a luxury item. And Engadget, noone reading this blog should need this voucher since they obviously have internet access and can obtain the same information they can throught the 5 channels offered by bunny ears...
Well, since the Fed made a boat load of money selling the "air" above my head, they really should give me some of my money back.
Oh, and since I pay the Fed, not the other way around, anything they "return" to me should be used how I see fit.
It's not about luxury. In today's society you need television to keep up with the news and for emergency broadcasts. It's good that everyone has a TV so they can turn it on during emergencies to see what they need to do (if it's not obvious or not affecting them yet).
Kris, there's this thing they invented called a radio which is quite portable and you can take down into your storm cellar in the event of a disaster. They also make some that have cranks and/or run on batteries so even when the power goes out and your tv with converter box bunny ears won't turn on, you can still get the information you need and listen to smooth Jazz while your house is being torn apart by an F5 tornado.
touche boarderwoot!
@Boarderwoot, the radio isn't a replacement for television anymore. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to make people understand certain circumstances or instructions without a visual aid? Radio is worthless in that regard.
Yup - response I JUST got was:
"We have determined that you are eligible to participate in this program and your
coupon application has been approved. However, because program funding is not
currently available, you will not receive coupons unless more funding becomes available.
If program funding becomes available you should receive your coupons in the mail."
Same here just tried and it said they are already out of funding...
i ordered 6 of these and only used one. say bye bye to $200 of that money! suckers.
They expire after 90 days, so the money goes back. And, you sir need to stop fucking other people over.
Wasn't it limited to 2 per household? Are you admitting you committed fraud against the federal government in a public forum? ;)
The funding from you're un-used cards goes back into the fund, no big deal.
if anyone needs a coupon i have 5 for sale. $20.
I sincerely hope you're joking.
@ Bangladeshiluv
You are aware that trying to sell those coupons is illegal, right? You might want to get your post deleted...
https://www.dtv2009.gov/FAQ.aspx
Yeah make sure you get your post deleted, otherwise the Feds will come after you. A task force sits around watching Engadget comments waiting on someone to admit to something illegal. It doesn't matter that there is no proof, whatever you say must be true.
/sarcasm
@ Zoinks
Hey, it was just some friendly advice... People can do what they want.
Oh of course. I don't see why anyone would want to sell them anyway. Seems like it would be easier to sell the actual tuner. Especially if you offered to set it up for the buyer.
Looks like it's too late, I just submitted my converter box request (for a TV in my shop), and was greeted with this message:
"We have determined that you are eligible to participate in this program and your coupon
application has been approved. However, because program funding is not currently
available, you will not receive coupons unless more funding becomes available. If program
funding becomes available you should receive your coupons in the mail."
Since the vouchers "expire" 90 days after being issued, I'm assuming money from unused coupons should be going back into the fund continually? I'm sure a lot of people got the vouchers only because they could and never actually used them.
I would think so too. A lot of people ordered the vouchers early on, despite retail availability of the converters was lacking. Who knows, maybe we'll see these coupons on ebay.
Apparently, bangladeshiluv over above just proved my theory.
Well, considering how our government "works" in its "appropriation" style, it wouldn't surprise me if those issued, but not cashed, coupon dollars are sent elsewhere.
The coupons actually say "valid thu"?
Someone should learn to spell
Yes
It's you who should learn to read.
British vs American spelling. In Britain it is "valid through" while Americans sometimes write "through" it is often abbreviated to "thru".
The whole thing was handled poorly. The government claims the switch to digital was to free up bandwidth for emergency broadcasting, then goes and auctions off spectrum for cold hard cash. It's forcing broadcasters to inform the public about the change at IMMENSE expense claiming that broadcasters have had a license to print money by being allowed to use the airwaves for free. That's like saying light bulb manufacturers should pay up for using light waves for free. The digital signal -- which looks FANTASTIC when it comes in well in HD -- is less stable and less far-reaching than analog. And some stations don't have to switch to digital. Very confusing for the consumer.
I'm all for the change from the quality aspect. HDTV looks great on local OTA's. But the feds should have set a date and said "That's it -- on Feb 17, 2009 you need a new TV." They make all kinds of other laws that don't give allowances for grandfathering in the obsolete elements. There should never have been this confusing coupon program. While I understand it fully -- the vast majority of consumers don't. Had it been left to a simple cutoff date, market forces would have kicked in, and the companies that are now charging $40 - $80 for $2 worth of electronics (because they have to charge more than the coupon) would have created the boxes to fill in the void for consumers who didn't want a new TV. The cost of the boxes would have been competitive, and the whole situation would have been easier to understand.
I live in a rural town, and go to college in a suburb minutes from the city, and several of the broadcast stations.
At home, I don't get any digital signal, and barely get an analog signal. At college, where I can see the city skyline, I can receive a digital signal, but only if it's not raining, snowing, or blowing, and even then, I can only get one station at a time - if I want to switch to another one, I have to re-position my antenna.
I don't use the converter, because I have an amplified antenna going into my digital TV. I e-mailed the administration of the CBS and Fox stations, and the response was to install a roof-top antenna.
I just wish there was a way to get the coupons re-issued. We got ours and then promptly lost them. There's $80 that we or someone else may have been able to use.
I'm gonna take advantage of the "supply and demand" model and sell mine on eBay - asking $1,000 or the highest bidder!
As I mentioned above, you'd be well advise to NOT attempt to sell those coupons. It is ILLEGAL.
"It is illegal to sell, duplicate or tamper with the coupon."
"While it is illegal to sell coupons, giving a coupon for free to a family member, friend, or neighbor is not prohibited under Program regulations."
https://www.dtv2009.gov/FAQ.aspx
I don't know, maybe you like the idea of PMITA federal jailtime...
$1000 for $40 off a $60 box?
That sounds about right!
Naturally, I'm joking... just in case anyone out there feels the need to remind me of the law.
I understand the humor, but you must acknowledge that jokes can get taken very seriously if the wrong people read them...
I'm not sure how S/H fees would be looked at, I'm guessing it's just not worth the trouble. Spend $1000 (or even $40.01) to save $40? There are a lot of idiots out there. And you'd have to pay the eBay fees. OTOH, you could certainly re-sell the converter box...
Okay, okay... so I won't charge a fee for the tickets... I'll *give* them away on eBay - but my price for shipping and handling is $1000. How's that? LOL!
I feel bad for all those people that installed those backseat DVD + TV entertainment systems in their SUV's.
Oh wait.. no I don't. Haha.
Because a lack of OTA NTSC broadcast signals will cause the DVD player to stop working. Oh wait...
I still haven't gotten my vouchers from them. I requested two back in November, and according to the website should have been sent out by the beginning of December.
It's January 5th now and still no vouchers.
Anybody knows if I can request another one?
... then again, that would be a moot point since they ran out of money.
We're in a recession ... some of us are losing our jobs ... and we're paying for people's converter boxes?
When will this madness stop!?
this would be a good idea in the uk, we go digital in 2012
We have determined that you are eligible to participate in this program and your coupon application has been approved. However, because program funding is not currently available, you will not receive coupons unless more funding becomes available. If program funding becomes available you should receive your coupons in the mail.
this is the message i got