The president has signed into law a bill adjusting the reimbursement dates of the low-power television grant program. The law states that LPTV and TV translator stations can seek a $1000 grant in order to ensure that they are able to continue to receive and rebroadcast the signals of primary full-power television stations once the full-power stations complete the DTV transition.
The grant program will provide funds to eligible translators and LPTV stations that need to purchase a digital-to-analog converter box in order to convert the incoming signal of a full-power DTV station to analog format for retransmission on the analog LPTV station.
The program has been funded with a total of $8 million, which is available in $1000 grants to eligible LPTV stations. As a result of the recent change, funds granted through the LPTV digital-to-analog grant program will available beginning in fiscal year 2009 (Oct. 1, 2008 – Sept. 30, 2009), rather than in fiscal year 2011. In addition, the recent bill also extends the availability of funding through fiscal year 2012.
Any low-power television broadcast station, Class A television station, television translator station, or television booster station that meets the criteria may apply for the grant to defray the cost of the digital-to-analog converter box. The criteria includes that the entity is broadcasting exclusively in analog format; it has not purchased a digital-to-analog conversion device prior to Feb. 8, 2006; and it is (or will be) re-transmitting the off-air digital signal of a full-power DTV station.
Applications for this grant program are being accepted until Feb. 17, 2009.
For more information on how to apply for such grants, visit www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/otiahome.html.
