NTIA issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to provide services in support of the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program authorized by section 3005 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. The services required cover three broad functional areas: (1) consumer education and communications, (2) systems processing (e.g., determine consumer eligibility, coupon distribution and activation, and certify retailers and provide training materials), and (3) financial processing (e.g., administer the coupon authorization for redemption, and retailer payment process, and perform independent auditing).

NTIA awarded a single contract for an end-to-end solution and execution of the Coupon Program that encompasses all three functional areas.  The Coupon Program components require expertise across a variety of fields.   NTIA encouraged potential Offerors to include expertise from small businesses as well as large businesses to provide the best mix of resources to enable NTIA to execute the Coupon Program efficiently and effectively.

In November, 2008, NTIA awarded $2.7 million to the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) to help seniors transition to digital television and $1.65 million to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund (LCCREF) to help vulnerable populations make the tranisiton.

For more information:

Modification of Contract between NTIA and IBM to provide services for the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program
April 2009

Press Release: Commerce’s NTIA Awards $1.65 Million to Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund to Help Vulnerable Groups Transition to Digital TV: NTIA awarded today $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. (Acrobat PDF 27 Kb)
November 21, 2008

Press Release: Commerce’s NTIA Awards $2.7 Million to National Association of Area Agencies on Aging to Help Seniors Transition to Digital TV: NTIA announced today an award of $2.7 million to the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) to help seniors transition to digital television through the TV Converter Box Coupon Program.  Full-power TV broadcasters switch from analog to 100 percent digital broadcasts after February 17, 2009. (Print version Acrobat PDF 27 Kb)
November 18, 2008

Final Phase Plan for Distributing TV Converter Box Coupons: Plan demonstrates that the Coupon Program has both sufficient funds and system processing capabilities to distribute a total of more than 50 million coupons through March 31, 2009, and to do so without the creation a large backlog. Date: November 6, 2008 (Acrobat PDF 242 Kb)
November 6, 2008

TV Converter Box Coupon Program Consumer Education Plan: This document provides NTIA’s strategic plan of action to educate consumers about the digital transition and the Coupon Program. (Acrobat PDF 408 Kb)
December 6, 2007

DTV Technical Assistance: This document addresses how NTIA intends to meet the informational and technical assistance needs of vulnerable populations using the funds made available in the “DTV Transition Assistance Act.” (Acrobat PDF 33 Kb)
October 15, 2008

Consumer Testing Results Report: NTIA conducted independent research to identify what consumers thought were important pieces of information about the Coupon Program; what type of identity attracted their attention; and whether the Coupon Program application was understandable and easy to fill out. (Acrobat PDF 1,274 Kb)
December 6, 2007

Privacy Impact Assessment: Both personally identifiable information and business identifiable information are collected.  The personal information collected is pertinent to the stated purpose for which the information is to be used, and only information that is required to implement the coupon program is collected. 

Public Notice: Digital-to-Analog Converter Box program System of Records: NTIA has published a notice to announce the effective date of a Privacy Act System of Records entitled COMMERCE/NTIA-1, Applications Related to Coupons for Digital-to-Analog Converter Boxes. This new system of records is necessary to identify those households that qualify for and receive coupons towards the purchase of a digital-to-analog converter box. (Printable version - Acrobat PDF 14 Kb)
December 28, 2007

Federal Register: New System of Records for DTV Transition Converter Box Coupon Program: The Federal Register notice announces the Department of Commerce's (Department) proposal for a new system of records under the Privacy Act. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is creating a new system of records for applications related to coupons for the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box program.
 • HTML Version
 • Printable Version (Acrobat PDF 52 Kb)
November 26, 2007

Contract between NTIA and IBM to provide services for the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program

Press Release: Commerce Department's NTIA Awards IBM Contract For Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program Services: NTIA today awarded IBM a contract to provide services for the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program, which is designed to help all Americans receive free, over-the-air television when full-power television stations cease analog broadcasting after February 17, 2009.
August 15, 2007

Amendment to Request for Proposals: On April 20, the NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office issued an amendment with changes to the Request for Proposals, including an extension of the deadline to submit proposals to 2 P.M. EST, May 7, 2007.
April 24, 2007

Procurement Website for Offerors: As announced on the Federal Business Opportunities site, offerors can now access a procurement website for this solicitation. Located on the website are:
• a complete and expanded list of those attending the Pre Proposal Conference on 3/26/2007
• a PowerPoint presentation and a transcript of the Pre Proposal Conference
• a list of questions submitted and the responses to those questions
• notice that the deadline for submission of questions extended through 4/16/2007
April 6, 2007

Pre-proposal Conference: A pre-proposal conference will be held on Monday, March 26 at 10:00 a.m. at NOAA, Room 4527 in Building SSMC3, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD. All planning to attend must contact Diane Trice by noon on Friday, March 23 with the following information: name, company name, phone, and email address. Email: diane.trice@noaa.gov. 
March 20, 2007

Request for Proposals: NTIA has issued a Request for Proposals to provide services in support of the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program authorized by section 3005 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.
• Federal Business Opportunities information (FBO)
• NTIA version (if FBO site is unavailable)
March 14, 2007

Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program Presolicitation Notice
January 7, 2007
- Federal Business Opportunities: Presolicitation Notice (synopsis)
- Presolicitation Notice (NTIA version)
January 5, 2007

Market Research for Implementation of Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program
July 31, 2006
• Federal Business Opportunities: Request for Information
• Synopsis: Request For Information (NTIA)
• Request for Information [ -- HTML -- Acrobat PDF (71Kb) -- ]
• Question and Answers [ -- HTML -- Acrobat PDF (44Kb) -- ]
• Industry Day Presentation [ -- HTML -- MS PowerPoint -- Acrobat PDF (908Kb) -- ]
August 21, 2006