Converter Box demand may exceed supply according to a recent WSJ article on the digital transition.
It's highly unlikely (ok, impossible) that every single coupon will be redeemed over the next 3 months, but there is a possibility that with the recent change to the coupon program to allow expired coupon holders to reapply, there will be an uptick in coupons ordered again...and coupled with a limited supply of converter boxes, could create problems for consumers in June when the Digital Transition occurs.
9.3 million coupons are currently active and a redemption rate of about 60%, that suggests some 5.5 million set top boxes might be needed, House Energy and Commerce subcommittee chairman Rick Boucher (D., Va.) said at the oversight hearing.
"If every coupon is redeemed there won't be sufficient boxes to meet that demand," Anna Gomez, acting heading of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, told lawmakers at the hearing. "I do share the concern about whether inventory levels will be sufficient to get us through June 12 and also after June 12," she said.