[mythtv-users] Cable Programmers versus the FCC

[Brad DerManouelian]

On Sep 16, 2008, at 3:12 PM, Brian Wood wrote:

> Michael T. Dean wrote:
>> On 09/16/2008 05:19 PM, Allen Edwards wrote:
>>> The way I read the rules was that the government didn't want to have
>>> to provide more set top boxes to allow people to get their signals.
>>>
>>
>> Good.  The $1.8 billion they had me (and my fellow taxpayers) spend  
>> on
>> the 8% of the population who use OTA broadcast signals was enough.
>> (Though I have a sneaking suspicion that the coupons are going out  
>> to a
>> /lot/ of people who don't need them and wouldn't be surprised to  
>> learn
>> that they're not going out to some of the people who do.)
>>
> A couple of local stores here are telling folks they can get a
> "discount" on purchases other than the converters by turning in their
> coupons to the store. I'm not sure if this is just a marketing  
> gimmick,
> or of they are actually accepting the coupons as cash, if the  
> latter, I
> think it would be illegal, but if they are just throwing them away I'm
> not so sure.

I was listening to NPR the other morning and there was a  
representative from the FCC talking about the pending analog switch  
off. He said it's legal for you to let someone else use your coupon.  
They expire 6 months after you get them so some people were getting  
them as soon as they could and waited to get their converter box until  
after it expired. He said to find someone else who doesn't need the  
coupons and have them get one for you.

-Brad