As Coupon Deadline Nears, Families Should Apply for Converter Box Coupon Now or Donate to Needy Neighbors
DTV Assistance Centers and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund (LCCREF) are urging unprepared households to apply for a converter box coupon as soon as possible to receive their $40 government coupon to purchase a converter box.
The recent transition to digital television was largely a success for television viewers and broadcasters. Yet it has also left some families feeling digitally disconnected for various reasons, ranging from problems with converter box installation to challenges receiving local broadcasters’ varying signal strengths.
For most families who rely on over-the-air television, making the transition to digital has come at some out-of-pocket expense, as they’ve had to cover the difference between the coupon and the converter box and – in many cases – purchase upgraded antennas. Further, local partners report an increasing number of families who say they have had to cut back on expenses and have cancelled or may cancel their cable subscriptions. It is important that these newly impacted families apply now for their converter box coupons.
To apply for a coupon, households must call 1-888-DTV-2009 or visit www.DTV2009.gov before the program ends on July 31. The coupons are valid for 90 days after they are issued. They are transferrable, meaning they can be given to others. For further help, please call 1-888-CALL-FCC.
Additionally, if families have a coupon they can donate, now is the time to help others. LCCREF has partnered with nearly 100 community organizations to collect and distribute hundreds of coupons to needy families. In this time of economic uncertainty, many are turning to community organizations for help. To help these families with the switch, people with unused and unneeded coupons can mail them to:
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund
National DTV Coupon Exchange Program
P.O. Box 66081
Washington, DC 20035
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LCCREF has teamed up with local organizations nationwide to provide trainings and DTV-related assistance to members of impacted populations in seven major cities: Atlanta, GA; Detroit, MI; Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN; Portland, OR; San Antonio, TX; San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland CA; and Seattle-Tacoma, WA.