Senate Bill Would Provide Coupons for Antennas and Installation

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., understands that a converter box alone is not sufficient for DTV reception. In many cases, especially in rural, hilly or mountainous areas, an outdoor antenna will be required.

As the Vermont Senator recently told Bob Fernandez from The Philadelphia Inquirer, "If you're 80 years old, you will not be going up on your roof in a Vermont winter."

In response, Sanders has introduced Bill S.3740, which would create a $75 million coupon program. The coupons could be applied to the cost to install a digital-to-analog converter box; the purchase of an indoor or outdoor antenna or both if needed to facilitate the reception of DTV signals; the cost to install any of these antennas; or the cost to install any other equipment needed to receive basic television service.

The last item refers to what the bill calls “Basic Broadcast Television Service,” a basic cable or satellite service carrying, at a minimum, the “over-the-air signal of any non-subscription television broadcast station within the local market.”

For more information on the proposed coupon program, search for S.3740 on thomas.loc.gov. Type in “S.3740” in the box under “Search Bill Text” and select “Bill Number” to view the complete bill.

Read more of Doug Lung's RF Reporthere.

Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.