Beware the FCC Digital Converter Box Coupon Program

"We're talking about the U.S. Government, here"

It's been a nightmare trying to get converter box coupons. But what did I expect. This was a government-run program after all. Should I have really thought it would go smoothly. And now Congress is close to extending the Analog cut off to June 12 (whatever that means).

While I don't agree with Barack Obama that the conversion itself should be pushed back a few months so that the FCC can regroup, I do understand why he asked for it, the FCC Converter Box Coupon Program is a mess. It ran out of funding and many people who need a converter box may not get the government assistance (in the form of a $40 coupon card) they expected.


I started last May. I went to the web site, applied for my cards (you can ask for up to 2 per household) and waited. And waited. And waited. They finally showed up at my house and I noticed at the time that the issue date was about 30 days prior to the day I received it. While I didn't give much thought to it at the time, I only had 90 days to use them and 30 of those days were gone. I kept saying to myself, in a quiet voice in the back of my mind,k "I need to stop by Radio Shack and pick up that converter box". Well that time passed and I never did it.

So those expired. Then I applied again using a friends name who didn't need them. I told her they were coming and to let me know when they arrived. After a few months I asked her about them and she said she "thinks" she got them. More weeks passed. She finally gave them to me and they had already expired. So there's another set of coupons gone.

So my last resort was talking to a friend of mine at work. She was telling me that she applied for them even though she didn't need them but wanted to give them to some underprivileged folks she works with outside of work. Her intent was in knowing that these folks didn't now much about the conversion so she wanted to be able to explain it and hand them the coupons. When I told her what happened to me she immediately offered to give me one of hers.

So there, I finally got one. I went to Radio Shack and talked to them about a converter box. It was all a big rush and I thought the gentleman said that "this box would be covered by the coupon" meaning I would just pay any taxes.

When he rang it up he said "That will be $24.50" or something like that. I said "WHAT?". He then explained that he meant the coupon was "applicable" to this converter box, not that it would cover the entire cost except tax.

So I said that I wanted to cancel the transaction and see if I could find a converter box for cheaper. He said he couldn't void the sale because in ringing it up he had to put the coupon number in the computer and there was no way to void it. So now I was stuck paying an extra $24.00 for a converter box. And I couldn't return it either. Well, I could but I would lose out on my coupon discount. I'm not sure I understand it all but again, it's the government we're talking about.

So this ridiculous coupon program is being extended because it ran out of money. Well if you consider how many coupons they "accounted" for that were never used, I'll bet they never ran out of money. It's all on paper. I called my U.S. Representative, Chellie Pingree. I got an aide of some sort name Antoine. I asked how Ms. Pingree was going to vote on the extension bill. The Senate already approved it. He wouldn't tell me how she would vote. He did ask me how I wanted her to vote and said he would relay that to her but he refused to tell me how she intended to vote. Why can't I, as a constituent, ask how my representative, or congress-person, is going to vote on an issue? Isn't that a simple question? But then again, we're talking about he government here.