Reply from Carl Levin

I received an e-mail response from Carl Levin on my opinion of the DTV transition delay.  I'm thinking it was a generic response but nonetheless I do appreciate his response.  Mr. Levin did have good points that a lot of people who did request coupons had them turned down, and others whos coupons expired weren't receiving new ones.  Here's his e-mail to me (click the title or click read more to see the full message):

Dear Mr. *******:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the transition from analog to digital television. I appreciate hearing from you on this matter.

As you may know, digital television is a service that represents a significant change in the way we watch TV. Digital television can provide sharper pictures, a wider screen, CD-quality sound, and better color than their analog predecessors. Transitioning to digital television also frees a large portion of the analog airwaves, which can then be used for other important services, such as communications for first responders.

On February, 11, 2009, President Obama signed the DTV Delay Act into law (P.L.111-4). This law delays the nationwide transition to digital television by four months from February 18, 2008, to June 12, 2009, due to the slower than expected pace at which digital televisions and digital converter boxes have been introduced into American homes.

The DTV Delay Act passed the Senate on January 29, 2009, by unanimous consent. As you may know, on January 4, 2009, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the federal agency charged with distributing digital converter box coupons to assist in the transition, announced that funding had run out, which effectively halted further distribution of converter box coupons one month before the scheduled transition date. Even before that, however, I heard from a number of constituents who requested coupons that eventually expired due to a lack of supply of converter boxes at local stores throughout Michigan. The NTIA then refused to allow citizens to re-request coupons, even if they had expired and gone unused. I originally attempted to address this issue on June 16, 2008, when I joined a number of my colleagues in the Senate in writing a letter to the Department of Commerce to request that they allow citizens who had trouble with obtaining a converter box to reapply for new coupons.

I am pleased the DTV Delay Act will eventually allow citizens with expired converter box coupons to reapply for up to one replacement per expired coupon with the NTIA. Furthermore, Congress is now considering appropriating additional funding to ease the difficulties that have occurred with the coupon program. I will continue to monitor the situation as it develops.

To request coupons that can be used toward the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes, you can visit the NTIA’s website at [http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/] or call 1-888-388-2009. I hope you found this information useful. Thank you again for writing.

Sincerely,
Carl Levin