If you haven't applied for your $40 coupons for DTV converter boxes yet, you could be out of luck. The government-backed coupon program has run out of money.

The NTIA announced today that "because of the high demand" for DTV converter box coupons, the program has reached its $1.34 billion ceiling for coupons ordered and redeemed.

If you apply for a coupon now at www.dtv2009.gov , you'll be put on a waiting list and given a reference number to track the order status. Coupons will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis as funds from "expired coupons" become available. It's expected that some 6 million coupons will expire within the next few months.

With only 43 days left before the Feb. 17 deadline, it's highly unlikely that anyone requesting a coupon now will have it before the analog cutoff. The government is advising consumers who rely solely on free over-the-air TV to buy one box as soon as possible, without waiting for a coupon, so they aren't cut off once television broadcasts are all digital. If consumers do get a coupon in the months to come, they can use it to buy an additional converter box or two for other sets.

Joel Kelsey, an advocate for Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, is outraged that consumers now applying for coupons will be forced to spend their own money simply to continue getting the TV stations they've received for years. Even those who applied earlier can be left high and dry.

"Consumers who have already applied for coupons and never received them or those whose coupons expired before they could buy a box still won't be able to re-apply for new coupons," says Kelsey. As of Dec. 31, roughly 13 million of the 42 million coupons mailed had expired, according to the NTIA.

Consumers Union has tried to work with legislators since January 2008 to address problems with the DTV transition program. Kelsey has warned that the program was "melting down" and has been critical of the government's "glacial pace" in addressing problems.

If you want to weigh in with how problematic—or smoothly—this DTV transition has gone for you, feel free to do so at HearUsNow.org. Our advocates at Consumers Union may be able to help get your voice heard among our legislators and perhaps "change" will be something that we can believe in.

—Paul Eng