TV transition program runs out of money

If you already ordered your coupons, but not received them are you ok?

program seemed like a silly waste of money to me anyway

maybe they would have had more money for coupons if they cut back a bit on the t.v. commercials.

i realize it can be a confusing issue, but honestly, do the commercials have to play ALL day long?

If I have to listen to one more effing commercial about this change over, I will scream.
anyway, they got their way, there is no more such thing as "free TV access"

Poor little old grandmas/grandpas... they are the victims here... And some of them *really* need their TV. :(

It would be easier to just apply to the Treasury Department for a $B bailout. :)

Free TV is still all around you.

The lack of knowledge on this subject is ridiculous. I would predict that 75% of all television users will not be affected in any way. I say 75% because I can not imagine more than a quarter of the American television watchers do not have cable or satellite.

This changeover only will affect users who rely on over the air signals for their televisions.

I don't believe this......as I ordered Coupons about a year ago for all of my addresses.......and I never used them as they expired.

I think there is just a rush of people ....but none of them will actually buy a decoder.

How can we blame this on Clinton?

There must be a way somehow!

Denis --

How is there no more "free TV access", when you can still pick up channels off broadcast, just like you did with analog? You need a converter box or a TV that can pick up the signal, that's all.

ahhhhh government, the solution to and the cause of, all life's problems..

Health Care is next. wooohooo

I received 2 coupons - many months ago - and only used one. How can I get this extra coupon into the hands of someone who needs it?

First the boxes were free, then a $40.00 coupon, now you need to buy a new TV. Thanks Congressman Ed Malarkey

I went the other way and chose to get rid of my DirecTV account. I was paying over 50 bucks a month, but only watching 3 shows over the course of a year (The Shield, Top Chef, and Damages).

Getting those 3 shows off of i-tunes will cost me under 75 dollars for the whole year, as opposed to paying 660 dollars a year for the same privilege. What's the point of having hi-def TV if you don't like anything on television??

1.34 BILLION?!? No wonder the national debt continues to soar . . .

Maybe they shouldn't have spent that $375,000 to sponsor a car in NASCAR for a few races.

TV has never been free. You have always had to own a television.

I wonder how much the staff was being paid to run this program? This is just ridiculous. How can the government "run out of money". What is wrong with them? They were just handing out billions upon billions, now we hear that the government is "broke"?

They are LYING. They have money, they just have to reallocate some money, but I'm willing to guess that they spent over half of their budget on salaries, marketing, travel expenses, and many other unnecessary items.

The government is incompetent.

Cable TV should provide a free tier of service. It would benefit communities and allow cable to advertise other tiers of services or independent services to people using the free tier.

Imagine if they had spent half of their advertising money on AIDS awareness or illiteracy? Pretty sad that a handful of folks who may lose their local TV signals prompted the biggest media blitz I've ever seen in my lifetime (39 years)

They should make any homes that subscribe to cable or satellite inelilgible for the $40 coupons so there are enough for the people who rely on "over the air" TV.

this is pathetic. our country can improve the quality of the tv image but not the quality of life?

seriously wake up you stupid complacent americans. the government is in control and is not protecting you.

the tv is not your friend.

If they spent $1B of the money on coupons/converters and the rest for advertising, that's still 25 million converters. I wonder how many of the people who got these coupons were confused about digital vs. HD... I've heard way too many people who have cable or satellite worrying about the changeover, because they were using older TV's. My guess is that a large percentage of these are going from the store to a closet and then into the landfill in 5 years...

How are there no comments about how Bush warmongered the money away in Iraq. It's *obviously* Bush's fault just like everything else. Besides, Obama is giving us all a very generous $500 to stimulate the economy. He really IS the messiah!!!!!11!

How are there no comments about how Bush warmongered the money away in Iraq. It's *obviously* Bush's fault just like everything else. Besides, Obama is giving us all a very generous $500 to stimulate the economy. He really IS the messiah!!!!!11!

Ya snooze.....ya lose!

People have known about this for 2 years now. Hello, if over the air TV is so important to you then you should have done something about it by now. How many morons got these coupons only to realize that they didn't need them because they have cable or satellite? Just curious.

Issuing coupons that arrived and expired before I could use them...very good idea...and the gov't is still out of money for this project? Luckily, this can be worked out anyway...a joke for sure.

Who priced this out for 90.00, seems like someone is gouging the consumer.

Here's an idea for the techno-phobes that will no longer receive analog TV signals...if you haven't bought a TV in over 15 years or are too cheap to pay for cable, please join the rest of us in the 21st century, help out the US economy, and just go buy a new TV! Then the US gov't won't have to spend our tax dollars handing out coupons and producing asinine commercials.

So, for $50, I picked up a USB tuner stick to use with my computer, and it's reallly great!

I refuse to take TV Welfare, even if they call it a coupon!

Damn Gov't Giveaway Programs!

--

I really hope this catches on. The quality of reception is truly amazing with this new technology. Only a smaller antenna is needed to receive the new channel assignments and all TV’s you buy today will have the tuner built in. There are a lot of people who think cable TV is the only way to get a good picture. Well no more, I hope people re-discover the over the air opportunity and dump the cable. There is such a load of crap on the cable that people pay for and don’t use. I used my coupons to get the channel master box for those older TV’s I have.

well, EXCUSE ME, delos. Just because I don't want my kids glued to the cable TV and have never gotten it, I've got to either buy a converter box (maybe now, at full price), or pretend that it's 1946 and TV doesn't exist?

Haven't had a tv in 10 years, and do not miss it. I get news and movies etc from the internet, and the crap programming and "reality tv" I happily ignore.

This could be a blessing, you know... lots of people suddenly forced to actually interact with each other, or... gasp... READ A BOOK.

Yeah well they should be fine with money for this program since they have messed over have the people on the program by not stating the expiration dates to people and the early applicants had been able to find the boxes. I applied for my coupons the first week you could and wouldnt you know they expired before I was able to use them since nobody in my area had them. When I tried to apply for new ones, I was told tough crap you moron its your loose. Well I tell you what about the people that are not like me and couldn't get a family member to give them one of the cards. Oh and what happens when someones cable goes out during a storm or something and they cant get anyinformation because the signal is gone.

Ugh-- no wonder I haven't received my coupon. I've already lost Fox 25 for a couple of months, and now I have to pay full price for this set box the manufacturers and cable companies lobbied for? SCAM!

Comment #8: If you weren't fixated on that, you wouldn't know that about Severin, would you?

I HAVEN'T SEEN A NYTHING TO TELL ME WHY AND WHO REALLY BENFITS BY THIS CHANGE OVER.

Is the world really going to end for those that do not make the switch? Not likely, as a matter of fact, thier quality of life should improve.

who cares, tv is the suck hole of time...you should be browsing porn on the internet anyway!

Since no manufacturer gives out new TVs for free there never was such a thing as "Free TV" what you have to do now is to buy a converter box so you antiquated set works with the new spectrum being used. Why is that so hard to understand?

Well, I'm one of the people who ordered coupons early; put them - who knows where, so even if I find them, they're expired. Can I get another? No; nobody else in my house (different apartments) can get them either, because the records show the address has already gotten coupons. Did that count? This whole thing is coo coo; even with cable, one person in my house had to get a converter box from the cable company AND pay a monthly fee for it. bah humbug to this

I picked up my converter boxes last week for 10 bucks each from Walmart. They were the last two on the shelf. Here's the kicker I get home and read the boxes to discover these converters were made in China and so was the new antenna which I purchased. Here we are again America spending money we don't really have with foreign dealers. At the least the converters should have been made in America if we a throwing away our American dollars. Shame...

I RECIEVED MY COUPONS JUST IN TIME FOR THE MONEY TO RUN OUT .
WHEN I PUT THE COUPON #'S IN IT SAID NOT ENOUGH MONEY, SO NOW WHAT DO WE DO.