Expired DTV Converter Box Coupons Can Now Be Replaced
March 26, 2009 - Posted by Marcus-Alexander Neil
As of this week, anyone who previously requested DTV converter box coupons but didn't use them before their expiration date can request replacement coupons. However, households that have already requested and redeemed two coupons will not be able to get additional coupons.
With additional money allocated in the recent stimulus package, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has also been able to fill all the converter box coupon requests that had previously been placed on a waiting list. The coupon supply is limited, so anyone who has not requested coupons, or needs to replace expired coupons, should request their coupons right away. The transition to digital television is scheduled for June 12, 2009.
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LCCREF Video Tells the Story of a DTV Assistance Center at Work
March 5, 2009 - Posted by Jenna Wandres
In this video, Anni Chung of Self-Help for the Elderly, a DTV assistance center in San Francisco, tells how volunteers at her center helped an older Chinese-American woman install a digital converter box on her television.
Self-Help for the Elderly is one of the DTV assistance centers that LCCREF and local community organizations in seven cities have opened to provide information about the digital television transition and provide technical assistance with the converter boxes.
This video was shown during LCCREF testimony on the status of the transition at today's FCC open meeting. It is part of a LCCREF video project to capture some of the stories of the DTV assistance centers at work. You can view the other videos on our YouTube channel.
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Despite Digital Television Transition Delay, People Urged to Take Action Now
February 17, 2009 - Posted by Isha Mehmood
Despite legislation that pushed the digital television (DTV) transition deadline to June 12, hundreds of stations switched to a digital signal today, the original date of the transition. Other stations are expected to follow between now and the new deadline.
All over-the-air television viewers should get on the coupon waiting list and buy a converter box and try installing it on at least one television to ensure that they will not lose access to vital emergency information and broadcasts. Depending on where you live, you are likely to lose one or more stations if they don't already have a converter box, digital-ready TV or cable.
In addition, you should speak with senior citizens or others in your community that may not be ready to make the transition. If you have questions about the DTV transition, coupon program, consumer options, converter box installation, and antennas you can contact 1-888-CALL-FCC.
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DTV Transition Officially Delayed to June 12; Some Stations to Switch Early
February 12, 2009 - Posted by Clarissa Peterson
President Obama signed a bill yesterday delaying the digital television (DTV) transition to June 12, 2009. The transition was originally scheduled to take place next week.
The delay will allow people with over-the-air analog TVs more time to obtain the converter boxes necessary to receive a digital signal, and more time to apply for government-issued coupons to get a $40 discount on the converter boxes.
The bill also gives local television stations the option to make the transition earlier than June 12, and hundreds of stations plan to switch to a digital signal on Tuesday, February 17. Other stations that requested to switch early were denied by the FCC, in order to make sure all television markets have at least one remaining analog channel until the official transition date. All full-power stations in the United States will switch to a digital signal no later than June 12, 2009.
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LCCREF and New America Media Talk with Ethnic Media to Prepare Minorities for DTV Transition
February 9, 2009 - Posted by Jessica Paquette
 Kendal Conerly, a local DTV campaign coordinator, demonstrates how to install a DTV converter box during the Detroit ethnic media roundtable discussion. LCCREF and New America Media (NAM), an association of 2000 ethnic news organizations, held a series of roundtable discussions last month with reporters from local ethnic and minority media outlets to discuss how the digital television (DTV) transition will affect minority communities.
Ethnic newspapers, radio stations, and television stations are often a primary trusted source of news and information in their communities. "I host a gospel show on Sundays, and I have a lot of in-home people who can't get out," said Angela Jenkins, station manager of KBMS Radio in Portland. "The minority media is the gateway into the community. We have to let our consumers know where they can go."
Though awareness of the DTV transition has grown, new data from Nielsen Media Research shows that Black, Latino and Asian American households are less prepared for the transition than White households. During the discussions, LCCREF provided reporters with the latest information about how the transition will affect their communities and reporters gave LCCREF advice about the best ways to reach out to minority communities.
LCCREF held the discussions as part of a seven-city campaign to help inform and prepare minorities, seniors, and people with disabilities who still remain confused about or unaware of the DTV transition. The cities targeted in the campaign are Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, Portland, San Antonio, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay area.
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More Help Is Needed to Make the Digital Television Transition Run Smoothly
February 6, 2009 - Posted by Isha Mehmood
 Too many people are still not prepared for, and are confused by, the nation's switch to digital television
LCCREF's Mark Lloyd testified at yesterday's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) public meeting on the status of the digital television (DTV) transition.
Lloyd, vice president for strategic initiatives at LCCREF, testified about the organization's work during the past year to get information about the DTV transition to Americans who are most at risk of losing their access to television after the transition.
LCCREF worked with local community organizations to open DTV assistance centers in seven cities during the past month. The centers, which have been overwhelmed by the response in their communities, provide information about the transition and technical assistance with the converter boxes that allow analog over-the-air televisions to receive a digital signal.
LCCREF's recommendations to the FCC to help organizations working on the transition include:
- The creation of a centralized database of all organizations who are working on the transition in communities around the country;
- A list of when TV stations are planning to make the transition from analog to digital. The list should include information about the geographic area covered by each station's signal;
- A call center that can help people learn how to get ready for the transition, with information in multiple languages and accessible to people with disabilities; and
- Help for local community groups to get the resources they need to assist their communities in making the transition.
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House Approves Bill to Delay Digital Television Transition
February 4, 2009 - Posted by Katie Kohn
Today, the House of Representatives approved a bill (264-to-158) to delay the nation's transition to digital television from February 17 until June 12.
Wade Henderson, president and CEO of LCCR, praised the House vote, saying that though many people know about the transition, "just as many are confused by just what the transition means for them."
Though the transition date will be pushed back, local TV stations will still have the option to transition earlier. Over the next couple of weeks, stations will be making the decision on when they will make the transition.
The Senate passed the bill last week and it is expected to be signed into law by President Obama this week.
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DTV Assistance Centers Open in Last of Seven Targeted Cities
January 29, 2009 - Posted by Isha Mehmood
 Opening of Self Help for the Elderly assistance center in San Francisco In an effort to ease the transition to digital television on February 17, LCCREF has teamed up with local organizations to open DTV assistance centers in seven cities.
Assistance centers recently opened in Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, Portland, San Antonio, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay area.
The centers will provide information about the transition and technical assistance with the converter boxes that allow analog over-the-air televisions to receive a digital signal. They will also provide outreach to members of populations that will be hardest hit by the transition, including low-income families, older Americans, people of color and individuals with disabilities.
"Access to communications in the 21st century is not a luxury, it's a right. While we usually think of television as entertainment, it also provides critical emergency alerts and a lifeline to people. We've been seeing that folks aren't ready for the switch. That's why we are providing technical support and training to our community to ensure that they are ready for the transition," said Randy Engstrom, director of the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in Seattle.
Outreach and assistance will continue at the centers is part of a broader LCCREF partnership campaign in these cities.
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DTV Assistance Centers Open in Minneapolis
January 16, 2009 - Posted by Clarissa Peterson
 Steven Renderos of the Main Street Project in Minneapolis demonstrates how to install a DTV converter box for Timothy Blotz, anchor at Fox 9 News. With only a month left until the DTV Transition on February 17, organizations across the country are working to make sure people in their communities are ready for the switch to digital television. Fixed-income families, older Americans, people of color, and individuals with disabilities are more likely to rely on over-the-air television, and many will need help to make the transition.
LCCREF has teamed up with organizations in several cities to open assistance centers providing outreach to at-risk communities.
In Minneapolis, two assistance centers opened this week: the Lao Assistance Center, providing outreach to the Southeast Asian community, and the Main Street Project, which will target the Latino community.
The assistance centers will be hubs for information on the transition and will offer trainings and technical assistance to local community members.
Other cities where LCCREF is establishing DTV assistance centers include Seattle (opened on January 13), San Antonio (opening today), Atlanta, Portland, Detroit, and the San Francisco/Oakland area.
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The Government Needs a Plan for the DTV Transition
January 9, 2009 - Posted by Corrine Yu
 With the federal DTV converter box coupon program reportedly out of funds, LCCR is supporting President-elect Obama's proposal to extend the upcoming digital television (DTV) transition until there is a plan in place to minimize the number of viewers who will lose TV signals.
"Most importantly, this plan needs to fix the flaws in the federal coupon program created to offset the cost of this transition to consumers. LCCR believes it is critical that America leaves none of its communities and viewers behind as it transitions to digital television," LCCR wrote in a letter to leaders of the Senate and House commerce committees.
On January 4, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that funding for the coupon program had run out. NTIA is now placing hundreds of thousands of consumers onto their coupon waiting list each day, and telling consumers to either pay for converter boxes themselves, or subscribe to cable or satellite TV service.
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Setting Up Your Converter Box
Converter Box Coupon Program
Local Transition Resources
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