The DTV transition will require citizens to understand the transition and the actions that some might have to take to maintain television service. For those households with subscription video service on all televisions or with all televisions capable of processing a digital signal, no action is required. However, households with analog televisions that rely solely on over-the-air television signals received through rooftop or indoor antennas must take action to be able to view digital broadcast signals after analog broadcasting ceases. The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 addresses the responsibilities of two federal agencies—FCC and NTIA—related to the DTV transition. The act directs FCC to require full-power television stations to cease analog broadcasting by February 17, 2009. The act also directed NTIA to establish a $1.5 billion subsidy program through which households can obtain coupons towards the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes. In August 2007, NTIA selected International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) as the contractor to provide certain services for the program. On January 1, 2008, NTIA, in conjunction with IBM and in accordance with the act, began accepting applications for up to two $40 coupons per household that can apply toward the purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes and, in mid-February 2008, began mailing the coupons. Initially, during the first phase of the program any household is eligible to request and receive the coupons, but once $890 million worth of coupons has been redeemed, and issued but not expired, NTIA must certify to Congress that the program’s initial allocation of funds is insufficient to fulfill coupon requests. NTIA will then receive $510 million in additional program funds, but households requesting coupons during this second phase must certify that they do not receive cable, satellite, or any other pay television service. As of June 24, 2008, in response to NTIA’s statement certifying that the initial allocation of funds would be insufficient, all appropriated coupon funds were made available to the program. Consumers can request coupons up to March 31, 2009, and coupons can be redeemed through July 9, 2009. As required by law, all coupons expire 90 days after issuance. As unredeemed coupons expire, the funds obligated for those coupons are returned to the converter box subsidy program. Retailer participation in the converter box subsidy program is voluntary, but participating retailers are required to follow specific program rules to ensure the proper use and processing of converter box coupons. Retailers are obligated to, among other things, establish systems capable of electronically processing coupons for redemption and payment and tracking transactions. Retailers must also train their employees on the purpose and operation of the subsidy program. According to NTIA officials, NTIA initially explored the idea of setting requirements for training content, but decided to allow retailers the flexibility of developing their own training programs and provided retailers with sample training materials. Certification requires retailers to have completed an application form by March 31, 2008, and to attest that they have been engaged in the consumer electronics retail business for at least 1 year. Retailers must also register in the government’s Central Contractor Registration database, have systems or procedures that can be easily audited and that can provide adequate data to minimize fraud and abuse, agree to be audited at any time, and provide data tracking each coupon with a corresponding converter box purchase. NTIA may revoke retailers’ certification if they fail to comply with these regulations or if any of their actions are deemed inconsistent with the subsidy program. Converter boxes can also be purchased by telephone or online and be shipped directly to a customer’s home from participating retailers. At the time of our review, 29 online retailers were participating in the converter box subsidy program. Additionally, 13 telephone retailers were listed as participating in the program, 2 of which are associated with national retailers. Private sector stakeholders, such as broadcasters and cable providers, have undertaken various education efforts to increase public awareness about the DTV transition. The NAB and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association initiated DTV transition consumer education campaigns in late 2007 at an estimated value of $1.4 billion combined. NAB has produced six versions of a public service announcement, including 15-second and 30-second versions in both English and Spanish and close-captioned versions. Private sector stakeholders have also produced DTV transition educational programs for broadcast and distribution, developed Web sites that provide information on the transition, and engaged in various other forms of outreach to raise awareness. Additionally, most of the national retailers participating in the NTIA converter box subsidy program are providing materials to help inform their customers of the DTV transition and the subsidy program. Examples of these materials include informational brochures in English and Spanish, educational videos and in-store displays in English and Spanish, informational content on retailer Web sites, and information provided in retailer advertising in Sunday circulars. FCC and NTIA also have ongoing DTV consumer education efforts, which target populations most likely to be affected by the DTV transition. Specifically, they focused their efforts on 45 areas of the country that have at least 1 of the following population groups: (1) more than 150,000 over- the-air households, (2) more than 20 percent of all households relying on over-the-air broadcasts, or (3) a top 10 city of residence for the largest target demographic groups. The target demographic groups include seniors, low-income, minority and non-English speaking, rural households, and persons with disabilities. According to NTIA, its consumer education efforts will specifically target these 45 areas by leveraging partnerships and earned media spots (such as news stories or opinion editorials) to better reach the targeted populations. FCC indicated that while its outreach efforts focus on the targeted hard-to-reach populations, the only effort specifically targeting the 45 locations has been to place billboards in these communities. According to FCC, contracts exist for billboards in 26 of the 45 markets, and it is working to place billboards in the other 19 markets. Furthermore, FCC and NTIA have developed partnerships with some federal, state, and local organizations that serve the targeted hard-to- reach populations. NTIA has processed and issued coupons to millions of consumers, but a sharp increase in demand might affect NTIA’s ability to respond to coupon requests in a timely manner. NTIA and its contractors have implemented systems (1) to process coupon applications, (2) to produce and distribute coupons to consumers, and (3) for retailers to process coupons and receive reimbursement for the coupons from the government. Millions of consumers have requested converter box coupons and most of the requested coupons have been issued. Through August 2008, households had requested approximately 26 million coupons. NTIA had issued over 94 percent of all coupon requests, for more than 24million coupons. Of those coupons issued, about 9.5 million (39 percent) had been redeemed and 31 percent had expired. After an initial spike at the beginning of the program, coupon requests have remained steady and have averaged over 105,000 requests per day. Coupon redemptions, since coupons were first issued in February 2008, have averaged over 48,000 per day. In our consumer survey, we found that 35 percent of U.S. households are at risk of losing some television service because they have at least one television not connected to a subscription service, such as cable or satellite. However, through August 2008, only 13 percent of U.S. households had requested converter box coupons, and less than 5 percent had redeemed these coupons. As the transition date nears, there is the potential that many affected households that have not taken action might begin requesting coupons. Our consumer survey found that of those at risk of losing some television service and intending to purchase a converter box, most will likely request a coupon. In fact, in households relying solely on over-the-air broadcasts (approximately 15 percent), of those who intend to purchase a converter box, 100 percent of survey respondents said they were likely to request a coupon. Consumers have incurred significant wait times in the processing of their coupon requests, but the processing time from receiving requests to issuing coupons is improving. NTIA requires that 98 percent of all coupon requests be issued within 10 days, and the remainder be issued within 15 days. From February 17 through August 31, 2008, our analysis shows that the average duration between coupon request and issuance was over 16 days. In aggregate, 53 percent of all coupon requests had been issued within 10 days, and 39 percent of all coupon requests had been issued more than 15 days after being requested. From May 1 through August 31, 2008, the average processing time from coupon request to issuance was 9 days. Given the processing time required in issuing coupons, NTIA’s preparedness to handle volatility in coupon demand is unclear. Fluctuation in coupon requests, including the potential for a spike in requests as the transition date approaches, could adversely affect consumers. When NTIA faced a deluge of coupon requests in the early days of the converter box subsidy program, it took weeks to bring down the deficit of coupons issued to coupons requested. According to NTIA, it expects a similar increase in requests around the transition date, and such an increase may cause a delay in issuing coupons. As a result, consumers might incur significant wait time before they receive their coupons and might lose television service during the time they are waiting for the coupons. While NTIA and its contractors have demonstrated the capacity to process and issue large numbers of coupon requests over short periods, they have yet to establish specific plans to manage a potential spike or a sustained increase in demand leading up to the transition. We analyzed data to compare areas of the country that comprise predominantly minority and elderly populations with the rest of the U.S. population and found some differences in the coupon request, redemption, and expiration rates for Hispanic, black, and senior households compared with the rest of the U.S. population.