*The original version of this story has been corrected.
Washington - The U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced on Monday the finalized specifics of its coupon program that will subsidize U.S. consumers' purchases of converter boxes, so they remain able to receive signals on their analog TVs once analog broadcasts are ceased on Feb. 1, 2009.

The Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program creates an initial fund of $990 million, and makes all U.S. households eligible to request two $40 coupons to put toward the purchase of converter boxes.

Congress may then allocate an additional $510 million to the program, should the initial funds run out. Consumers applying under this second tranche of funds would be required to certify they do not subscribe to cable, satellite or other pay-TV services to be eligible for the coupons.

The NTIA said the coupons will be electronically trackable and uniquely numbered, to minimize the opportunity for waste, fraud and abuse.
 

*Correction: The original version of this story stated that all consumers would have to certify that they do not subscribe to cable, satellite or other pay-TV services in order to apply for the coupons. This stipulation was placed only on applications that would potentially come out of the second, $510 million tranche of funding, which will be used only if the initial $990 million in funds runs out.

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