I made this post to the something aweful forums, and thought I'd also post it here in case anyone vinecrawler could also rep the benefits.

The new year marks the beginning of the government mandated Analog to Digital transition in the good old U S of A. For those not familiar this just means that any over the air broadcasts you watch on TV will (most likely) not be usable to you after February of next year unless you have a TV with a built in digital tuner or a separate digital box. In other words if you only ever watch cable/satellite/dvds and never over an antenna, and plan to stay this way then this change does not affect you.

They are offering up to two $40 off coupons per household for the purchase of two separate converter boxes. You can order via their website or by automated phone system:

"For more information on the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program, visit the NTIA’s website at www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon, or call 1-888-388-2009 (voice) or 1-877-530-2634 (TTY)."

URL to apply for coupon:

https://www.dtv2009.gov/ApplyCoupon.aspx

I would suggest the phone because the website does not appear to be working very well right now. If you use the phone remember to speak clearly and loudly. I had to do this twice because I have a cold and there are no operators working today. The system told me that my coupons would be mailed out sometime in February, and that they are only good for 90 days. If one of your coupons expires you can order another off the website, but you can only order a maximum of two per household.

More info can be found at:

http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html