$1.65 Million Grant to Civil Rights Group to Help Vulnerable Groups Transition to Digital TV

The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded $1.65 million to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund (LCCREF) to help vulnerable populations transition to digital television with the TV Converter Box Coupon Program. Coupons should be requested by the end of the year for consumers to be prepared when full-power TV broadcasters switch from analog to 100 percent digital broadcasts after February 17, 2009. LCCR will establish two Digital TV Assistance Centers in seven television markets with large over-the-air populations to train local leaders to ensure that households most at-risk have the necessary tools, resources, and technical assistance to continue accessing free over-the-air television. The television markets are Atlanta; Detroit; Minneapolis-St.Paul; Portland, Ore; San Antonio, Texas; San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland; and Seattle-Tacoma.