According to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), about 10 million coupons have been requested since the program began at the start of the year. Each coupon is worth $40 (on the purchase price of a box, priced around $60), and each household is entitles to a maximum of two coupons.
While demand is certainly outpacing supply, officials are worried that a large amount of people are still completely unaware of the DTV switch approaching. "We're doing a pretty good job so far," Meredith A. Baker, head of the telecommunications agency, said at a Senate hearing. "We have a lot more work to be done."
As of Friday, 280,128 coupons had been redeemed as consumers wait for stocks to hit the large retailers like Wal-Mart and Best Buy. It is estimated that about 20 million homes rely on over-the-air signals, and 70 million televisions could need converter boxes.
Written by: James Delahunty @ 10 Apr 2008 0:29