Converter Box Coupon Program Ends With Spike in Applications

The government's DTV-to-analog converter box coupon program ended with a spike, according to just-released figures from the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, which administered the program. On the final day that coupon applications could be applied for, 169,000 requests came in, more than double the previous day's 78,000 and more than three times the average for the previous 30 days. As of August 5, 33,962,696 coupons had been redeemed, or almost 500,000 more coupons than could have been covered by the original funding for the program, at least per the accounting rules applied to those funds. The government still has a little over $300 million in funding for the program.