I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 661 

To provide additional coupons for the digital-to-analog converter box program 

and to expedite delivery of coupons under such program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 23, 2009 

Mr. BARTON of Texas (for himself, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. UPTON, Mr. TERRY, 

Mr. WALDEN, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. RADANOVICH, Mr. GINGREY of Georgia, 

Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. WHITFIELD, and Mrs. BLACKBURN) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To provide additional coupons for the digital-to-analog converter box program and to expedite delivery of coupons 

under such program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 The Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) After significant work educating the people 

6 of the United States about the February 17, 2009, 

7 digital television transition, efforts to delay the tranVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:54 Jan 23, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H661.IH H661

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1 sition will confuse people, leaving them less, rather 

2 than more, prepared. Delay will— 

3 (A) not move a single consumer off of the 

4 waiting list for analog-to-digital converter box 

5 coupons; 

6 (B) require an additional appropriation of 

7 $650 million in the American Recovery and Re8 investment Act of 2009; 

9 (C) jeopardize the availability of the spec10 trum that the transition clears for police, fire11 fighters, and emergency personnel (spectrum 

12 that public safety officials stated 5 years to the 

13 day before September 11, 2001, they needed), 

14 and jeopardize that spectrum despite the sup15 port in the 2004 report of the 9/11 Commission 

16 for legislation setting an even earlier firm date; 

17 and 

18 (D) jeopardize the availability of the spec19 trum that the transition clears for advanced 

20 wireless services, perhaps our Nation’s best and 

21 quickest way to improve broadband deployment, 

22 stimulating the economy and creating job 

23 growth. 

24 (2) The program sending households up to 2 

25 coupons, each worth $40, to use for the purchase of 


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1 analog-to-digital converter boxes is not out of funds. 

2 Only approximately half of the $1.5 billion in the 

3 coupon program has been spent on redeemed cou4 pons; the other half remains in circulation, which is 

5 why there is a waiting list. Under current law, the 

6 coupons expire 90 days after issuance if not re7 deemed. Approximately 300,000 coupons expire 

8 every week, and the recouped funding is used to 

9 send more coupons. 

10 (3) In a January 14, 2009, letter, the Com11 merce Department said that the National Tele12 communications and Information Administration 

13 could immediately resume sending coupons even be14 fore existing ones expire if Congress authorized an15 other $250 million for the program. The Treasury of 

16 the United States might even recoup those funds be17 cause of unredeemed coupons that expire at the end 

18 of the program. 

19 (4) Industry has spent more than $1 billion 

20 successfully educating consumers about the transi21 tion and the February 17, 2009, transition date. Ac22 cording to Nielsen, as of the end of November 2008, 

23 approximately 93 percent of television households al24 ready had one or more televisions ready for the tran25 sition because the televisions had a digital tuner, 


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1 were connected to cable or satellite service, or were 

2 connected to a converter box. Approximately 83 per3 cent of television households had all their televisions 

4 ready. 

5 (5) Only households that rely exclusively on 

6 over-the-air antennas to receive television service and 

7 that do not have a digital television or a converter 

8 box are at risk of losing all television service. Ac9 cording to Nielsen, there are approximately 14.3 

10 million exclusively over-the-air households. The Na11 tional Telecommunications and Information Admin12 istration reports that it has already sent coupons to 

13 approximately 13.5 million households that identify 

14 themselves as relying exclusively on over-the-air an15 tennas. Thus, only 800,000 exclusively over-the-air 

16 households have not yet received a coupon. Approxi17 mately 600,000 of those households are on the wait18 ing list to receive a coupon. Authorizing an addi19 tional $250 million for the coupon program should 

20 help those households receive coupons before the 

21 transition date. 

22 (6) Based on these figures, only 200,000 house23 holds could lose all service if such households do not 

24 take action. Such households represent less than 2 

25 percent of exclusively over-the-air households, and 


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1 less than two-tenths of one percent of all television 

2 households. Such a small number of households with 

3 the potential to lose service is not reason enough to 

4 delay the transition. Government and industry can 

5 help households get coupons and converter boxes if 

6 such households want them, but a small group will 

7 always be unprepared no matter what the govern8 ment and industry do. In addition, households can 

9 always get a converter box without a coupon, either 

10 before or after the transition. The converter boxes 

11 only cost $40 to $80. Such households have addi12 tional options, as well, by which they can receive tel13 evision service. 

14 SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL COUPONS. 

15 (a) AMENDMENT.—Section 3005 of the Digital Tele16 vision Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 (Public 

17 Law 109–171; 120 Stat. 23) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (b), by striking 

19 ‘‘$1,500,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$1,750,000,000’’; 

20 and 

21 (2) in subsection (c)(3)— 

22 (A) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking ‘‘by 

23 substituting ‘$160,000,000’ ’’ and inserting ‘‘by 

24 substituting ‘$170,000,000’ ’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘by substituting 

2 ‘$1,500,000,000’ ’’ each place it appears in sub3 paragraphs (A)(ii) and (B) and inserting ‘‘by 

4 substituting ‘$1,750,000,000’ ’’. 

5 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

6 309(j)(8)(E)(iii) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 

7 U.S.C. 309(j)(8)(E)(iii)) is amended by striking 

8 ‘‘$7,363,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$7,113,000,000’’. 

9 SEC. 3. EXPEDITING DELIVERY. 

10 Not later than 7 days after the date of enactment 

11 of this Act, the Assistant Secretary for Communications 

12 and Information of the Department of Commerce shall ex13 pedite the distribution of coupons issued under section 

14 3005 of the Digital Television Transition and Public Safe15 ty Act of 2005 by directing that such coupons shall be 

16 delivered via pre-sorted first class mail service until Feb17 ruary 17, 2009. The Assistant Secretary shall continue to 

18 direct that such coupons be delivered by such service sub19 sequent to such date if the Assistant Secretary determines 

20 that doing so will significantly improve coupon redemption 

21 rates without jeopardizing the availability of administra22 tive funds. 


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1 SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF AUCTION AUTHORITY. 

2 Section 309(j)(11) of the Communications Act of 

3 1934 (47 U.S.C. 309(j)(11)) is amended by striking 

4 ‘‘2011’’ and inserting ‘‘2012’’. 

Æ 


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