Dec 30, 2008 7:32 pm US/Central
Get Your TV Converter Box Coupon Now
(WCCO)
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Shirlie Brown said she has been trying to get her coupon for a digital converter box for a year.
CBS
Update: The TV converter box program has reached its funding ceiling. However, more will become available as funds from expiring coupons are available. Register to get on a waiting list for a coupon here. The coupons will be worth $40 and will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis when available. Coupons expire 90 days of the date they are mailed.
It's just 49 days until over-the-air television switches from analog to digital and if you don't have cable or satellite, you might need a converter box.
They're not cheap, but the government is offering you a coupon that could save you $40. But if you don't act fast, you could be jumping through hoops to get one in time for the transition.
"I think I'm on the other channel," said Shirlie Brown, who is like a half-million other Minnesotans who get their TV signal over the air. "No cable, no nothing, just the old-fashioned kind that plug in the wall.
Brown, of Richfield, Minn., is either going to have to get a new digital television set, sign up for cable or satellite or get a converter box.
"A converter box and a proper antenna are absolutely essential if you intend to still get the signal over the air," said Jim du Bois, the president and CEO of the Minnesota Broadcasters Association.
The converter box costs between $50-$70, but the coupon gives you $40 off.
Brown has been trying to get her coupon for nearly a year.
"I haven't heard from them, so I called two more times and I got new numbers and then I haven't heard anything since," Brown said.
She doesn't have a computer, so logging on isn't an option. She also can't seem to get a real person on the phone.
"If I wanted a coupon, I'd press one, if I wanted some other information, I could press two," Brown said. "It makes you feel kind of like you're lost in the world. There are programs that say if you want any more information on this, use your computer."
It takes a while to get the coupons for the converter boxes. The government wants people to apply for the coupons by Dec. 31. Coupons will still be available until the end of March, if supplies last. For more information, call 1-888-DTV-2009.
Sonya Goins, Producer
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(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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