Markey wants flexible coupons

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The Chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Ed Markey (D-MA) is leading the charge to fix a possible flaw in the NTIA digital-to-analog converter box coupon program. The problem is that the coupons expire after 90 days, and Markey wants them to be extended for consumers unable to use them within that window. "For most coupon-users the 90 day window will likely suffice, but if consumers are unable to use the coupon in the allotted time, the NTIA should be flexible enough to allow those consumers to re-apply for coupons," he said. "This move would be consistent with the law and helpful for consumers." Several of Markey’s Energy and Commerce Committee colleagues signed onto a letter urging the NTIA to open to coupons to re-application if necessary.


TVBR/RBR observation: At this point, some of these applications are already a month old. We’d go a little further, and ask that the NTIA not even start the 90-day clock until a significant supply threshold is in stock on retail shelves throughout the country.