CFR

54.418—Digital Television Transition Notices by Eligible Telecommunications Carriers.

(a) Eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) that receive federal universal service funds shall provide their Lifeline or Link-Up customers with notices about the transition for over-the-air full power broadcasting from analog to digital service (the “DTV Transition”) in the monthly bills or bill notices received by such customers, or as a monthly stand-alone mailer (e.g., postcard, brochure), beginning April 1, 2009, and concluding on June 30, 2009.

(b) The notice must be provided as part of an information section on the bill or bill notice itself or on a secondary document mailed with the bill or bill notice, or as part of a monthly stand-alone mailer (e.g., postcard, brochure) in the same language or languages as the customer's bill or bill notice. These notices must:

(1) Be in clear and conspicuous print;

(2) Convey at least the following information about the DTV transition:

(i) The nationwide switch to digital television broadcasting will be complete on June 12, 2009, but your local television stations may switch sooner. After the switch, analog-only television sets that receive TV programming through an antenna will need a converter box to continue to receive over-the-air TV. Watch your local stations to find out when they will turn off their analog signal and switch to digital-only broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should continue to work as before to receive low power, Class A or translator television stations and with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products.

(ii) Information about the DTV transition is available from your local television stations, http://www.DTV.gov, or 1-888-CALL-FCC (TTY 1-888-TELL-FCC), and from http://www.dtv2009.gov or 1-888-DTV-2009 (TTY 1-877-530-2634) for information about subsidized coupons for digital-to-analog converter boxes;

(c) If an ETC's Lifeline or Link-Up customer does not receive paper versions of either a bill or a notice of billing, then that customer must be provided with equivalent monthly notices in whatever medium they receive information about their monthly bill or as a monthly stand-alone mailer (e.g., postcard, brochure).

(d) ETCs that receive federal universal service funds shall provide information on the DTV Transition that is equivalent to the information provided pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section as part of any Lifeline or Link-Up publicity campaigns conducted by the ETC between March 27, 2008, and June 30, 2009.

[73 FR 28732, May 19, 2008, as amended at 74 FR 8878, Feb. 27, 2009]

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