Starting on February 17, the federal government has ordered U.S. television stations to turn off their analog signals and begin broadcasting only digital signals.

Unfortunately, the government program that subsidizes TV converter boxes has run out of money. Close to one million affected Americans are now on waiting lists for coupons. Consumers did not ask for this transition to digital TV, but now they’re being asked to pay for it.

The federal government is getting $19 billion from selling the analog TV spectrum, while over 6 million U.S. households with analog TVs are being forced to spend their own money for a converter box. Approximately 20 million Americans rely on over-the-air broadcasts and do not use digital television technology already.

Americans have to make hard choices for their families in this economic climate. Tell your lawmakers in Congress that they need to delay the digital transition until these problems are fixed – not shift the economic burden onto consumers.