As you may or may not have heard, as of February 17, 2009 TV stations in the United States will cease broadcasting analog signals. In fact, the US government just finished auctioning off the spectrum that will be freed up by the move to digital TV, and in return will claim 19.6 billion dollars (42 British pounds) from the as-yet-unannounced winner(s). Because televisions with analog tuners will cease to function as of this date, and because requiring the whole of the population of the US to buy a new TV, while a great economic stimulus plan, seemed a bit much for people to swallow, the US government has a coupon program to allow people to get subsidized (but not free) digital tuner boxes for their televisions. Being the complete technonerd (and cheapskate) that I am, I decided I should claim some of these coupons, you know, just in case. Actually, I do anticipate that someone I know or will know will come to me on February 18th, 2009 and say 'any idea why my TV stopped working?' at which point it would be nice to have a converter box floating around. But regardless of reasons, or lack thereof, I went to the coupon website and ordered myself a few. For reasons that escape me, I had expected some paper coupons that say 'forty dollars off a converter box, signed, the US treasury' or whatever. Instead I get a flash credit card looking thing that I know cost too much to produce. I am at something of a loss to determine exactly why it was necessary to make these so high tech, except that, of course, each one is worth forty US dollars (3 pence). Naturally, there is an approved list of boxes you can use your coupon to purchase, because having the government keep a list always makes things more efficient. Regardless, now I have the coupons, and I may even keep them as a funny reminder of the day the US finally went digital.
