Utahns are among the nation's worst procrastinators when it comes to getting ready for the upcoming switch to digital-only TV, new federal data shows.

Only 43 percent of those people living in the Salt Lake City television market who now rely on an antenna for broadcast TV have obtained $40 discount coupons from the federal government to help them buy converter boxes.

That ties the Salt Lake market for the 12th worst participation rate in the nation, according to the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Nationally, 62 percent of households relying on antennas have obtained such coupons.

The nation's broadcasters will switch to digital TV on Feb. 17, just three months away. At that time, old analog TVs no longer will work without a new converter box, or without being hooked up to a cable or satellite TV system.

The federal government is offering coupons to help defray the cost of the new converter boxes. They are available online at www.DTV2009.gov or by calling 888-DTV-2009. It can take up to six weeks to obtain the coupons, so consumers are urged to order them before the end of the year to have them before the switch occurs.

"This upcoming switch requires immediate attention by those households. If they don't act soon, they will find themselves without access to television," said Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez.

So far, the program has issued about 35 million coupons to about 18 million households nationwide. About 14 million coupons have been redeemed at participating retailers.

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