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NBCU: No Extension on Gov’t Coupons for DTV Converters

The $40 coupons the government is offering to subsidize the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes expire after 90 days, and it may be unlikely that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will extend the deadline.

According to NBCU vice president Bob Okun, who heads the network’s lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., and who does not expect the deadline to be extended, the 90-day window was enacted in order to avoid fraud and abuse of the coupon program, writes Broadcasting & Cable.

The deadline may pose a challenge to consumers because the converter boxes have been difficult to find on store shelves.

A report from research firm Centris claims that more than 9 million homes stand to lose TV reception come the digital transition in February, not because they haven’t bought the converter box but because of gaps in the coverage of DTV signals.

NBC execs don’t believe Centris’s claims; however, they are saying that NBC could lose up to 6 percent of its over-the-air viewers because they haven’t purchased converters. The network has considered a marketing push with cable operators and retailers to ensure that viewers maintain their TV service. NBC will broadcast the last major TV event - the Super Bowl - before the Feb. 17 date.