Digital TV converter coupons in short supply

People who are buying the converter boxes (with or without the coupons) are getting an even greater surprise.  If you don't get a perfect analog TV picture, you won't get any HD picture at all.  The converter box will just say "Weak Signal" or somesuch.  A number of friends in rural areas are already reporting this --- and converter boxes bought with coupons can't be returned.  Also, if you live in a large city and get any ghosting on your analog picture, likewise you won't receive that station on HD.  HD was required to have "anti-ghosting" and the engineering solution was to just not show a picture if ghosting was detected.  And worst of all, stations that depended on transponders to extend their range (such as PBS) are having extreme amounts of trouble getting it to work.  And if you have cable, you're still not safe.  Comcast is shifting to "all-digital" and will require an $8/month box for each analog set connected to cable.

When you take the converter box back, they sell you rabbit ears.  These never work.  When you take them back, they sell you an outdoor antenna (if you are permitted by covenants or law to even have one).  That might work but probably won't.  When you go back, they then sell you a "signal booster" that won't work either.  The total bill can easily run to a thousand dollars and you still don't have a picture at all.

And especially in the current economic recession there are millions of people who cannot afford cable (or cable rate increases for converter box rental), cannot afford satellite TV, and cannot afford HD sets (even if they can receive a signal) because they are watching every penny.  It is these people who depend the most on free off-the-air network TV.

You should watch Hawaii --- they are converting on January 17th.  The uproar there will let you know, in a small way, what will happen here --- and Hawaii doesn't have the distaant rural areas that the rest of the country has. 

People need to be writing and calling their Congressmen to stop this until there is some resolution that does not turn 1/3 of the nation's TV sets black and put millions and millions of toxic TV sets into landfills.   This is one of the most poorly thought out and poorly implemented public policies in the history of Congress.

why doesn't the government just print more coupons?  that's what it does when it needs more money.

They're actually plastic debit cards similar to gift cards.  And the government put a 60-day expiration on them and you can only get two per household.  Most of the cards were sent out well before the converter boxes and expired without being used.  And because the cards are like gift cards, all sales are final, so if a converter bot was actually bought and it didn't give you a usable picture, then you cannot return or exchange it.  So you have lots of people with useless cards and/or useless converter boxes.  Printing more coupons would only make the situation worse.  Undoubtedly the government will do what it always does in such cases --- it will say "its all your fault" to the American public and walk away from the problem.

by the time you get the coupon you have a week before it expires, the fun part is finding the boxes before the coupon expires. and you cannot get another coupon. i had this problem i live in the city, 12 walmart stores have none and radio shack had 2 high dollar ones, lol, our government, is great isnt it?

I applied for  a converter box coupon early in the year based on the promotion that there was a limited number of coupons avaiable.  I then had 90 days to redeem them.  It was very dificult to purchase the boxes as the stores did not carry more than 3 at a time and was not taking reservations so I had to go to the store twice a week for several weeks before getting mine. I tried them out and found the reception was very bad.  The picture freezes often.There is a substantial pixilation and the sound is bad.  I call several places and emailed several locations.  The only answer is "You need to buy an antenna."  Now I hear that I need to buy a "pass through box"  What do I do with the boxes I have already purchased?  What else do I need "TO BUY"?

Is anyone else getting this run around?

I think that when they implemented the coupons there should have been a requirement on how much money you make.  This should be focused on the needy and not just anyone who wants one. Unfortunately, this would have put an overhead on the process since the person's income would have need to be validated.

This may not be an issue (analysis would have to be done), but to avoid coupons going out to people who really don't need them, it should have been implemented.  Unfortunately if people see that things are free they are more willing to get it that way then spend their own money.

I also think if the conversion is postponed that when the next deadline comes up they will still be basically in the same situation.  It will cost companies major money to postpone their plans to use the freed up airspace.  It will also hinder the emergency services from being able to use the space.. This would have far reaching consequences than someone being without TV until they can get a coupon.

It seems to me that our country is in a Panic Mode, and the news media is not helping. I think if they keep on the path they set,with some adjustments, that all will work out. Coupons will expire and come more available and those who end up without a TV signal that really can afford a box will break down and buy one.  Then it will leave the people who really cant afford one.