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SALT LAKE CITY -- KSL-TV and the other Salt Lake stations turned off their analog signals back on June 12. Since then, broadcasters have transmitted digital signals for their programming.
Because many Americans still had older TVs, the government committed more than $1 billion for a coupon program so people could purchase converter boxes and still get over-the-air signals.
| Coupons Requested | 64,105,127 |
| Coupons Redeemed | 34,879,122 |
| Coupons Expired | 29,226,005 |
| Redemption Rate | 54.5% |
"That really surprises me. I thought the number would be much higher, that three-quarters or 80 percent of these coupons would be redeemed," Robinson says.
It turns out, nearly 35 million coupons were used to buy converter boxes; but 29-million expired, unused. Those expired coupons are worth more than $455 million, which the federal government will take back.
| State | Coupons Requested | % of total requested | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most | California | 6,808,299 | 11% |
| -- | Utah | 476,401 | 0.7% |
| Least | Wyoming | 45,983 | 0.0007% |
| Total | -- | 64,105,127 | -- |
"There are some small pockets here and there where the UHF signal does not reach. But these communities are trying to solve the problems themselves," he says.
This government-mandated change cost billions of dollars to make happen, affected millions of Americans and it took a decade to do it.
"I'm glad it's over," Robinson says.
If you still have those expired coupons, toss them. They're no longer worth the plastic they're made of. Now your choices for digital TV are: buy a new TV or subscribe to cable or satellite.
E-mail: kmccord@ksl.com
