That aside, the program itself sounds ambitious in that it allows for an up-to US $1.5 billion dollar subsidy to help US TV viewers buy a digital set-top box to receive digital free-to-air TV broadcasts.

The coupons, which are really like store gift cards, are worth US $40 each, with households able to claim up to two coupons between Jan 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009. These coupons will be for the purchase of a digital set-top box which cost between US $50 and $75 each and convert digital TV signals into an analog signal that older analog TVs can display.

The US $1.5b subsidy is split into two parts. The first part of the subsidy is worth US $990 million, and allows any US citizen to claim up to two coupons. Once that US $990m has been exhausted, Congress is able to authorize an additional US $510m, but this will only be claimable by those who both haven’t as yet claimed a coupon, and who also don’t have cable or satellite TV services, i.e. those who rely solely on free-to-air television broadcasts.

Reuters have reported that just under 34,000 coupons are expected to be made available by the program, although as a reader points out, something more like 34,000,000 coupons will be made available, with NTIA hoping that many consumers will simply choose to upgrade to newer TV sets that already have digital reception technologies built-in.

Officials have claimed that there will be enough money and enough coupons to cover all who need it. Still, you can always expect government departments to make such promises, those who do probably won’t be in office by the time the cutoff date in 2009 takes place, and it will, by then, be someone else’s problem, with even a different US government in power by then.

The program will be administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), although a third party will be appointed to actually manage the coupon process, with NTIA overseeing the scheme, allowing them to buck-pass somewhat should there be some kind of major disaster in the program’s administration.

So, what will happen to the analog frequencies once they are no longer to be used for free-to-air TV broadcasts? And what are some of the other concerns that remain? Please read onto page 2 for the conclusion.