[Community Television] Digital switch over moves step closer

[Michelle McGuire]

Digital switch over moves step closer
20 May 2004 07:51

The government is to take its first tentative step towards analogue 
switch-off with a trial scheme in Wales to give away free set-top boxes 
to households.

The trial, the first of its kind, will kick off in November when 
approximately 350 households in the Carmarthenshire towns of Ferryside 
and Llansteffan will be given digital set-top boxes for three months 
and their analogue signals will be switched off. Broadcasting minister 
Lord McIntosh told Broadcast that the two villages were chosen for 
practical rather than political reasons - both are served by a single 
analogue transmitter, which would be free from interference.

The trial, spearheaded by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, 
was welcomed by the industry and comes in the same week that the 
government said it had written to terrestrial broadcasters requesting 
they help both it and Ofcom establish a timetable for a complete 
national switchover.

Digital analysts have always argued that handing out free set-op boxes 
would be the only way that the government would meet its switch-off 
target of 95%, although the government has been reluctant to publicise 
the fact because of the cost to taxpayers.

In the Welsh trial, recipients will be able to access all the BBC 
digital channels, ITV1 and 2, Channel 4, S4C, S4C Digidol and Five. The 
DCMS is currently consulting residents to assess their willingness to 
enter the scheme. If the results are positive and the scheme goes ahead 
there will be a second consultation process after the trial. If this 
also yields positive feedback, the two towns will become the first 
areas in Britain to be totally converted to the digital signal.

"This is an opportunity to test the technology. The important thing 
here is that we haven't yet done that, except on a tiny scale," said 
Lord McIntosh, adding that if the trial was successful, it would be 
unlikely that additional trials would take place, with the possible 
exception of a scheme to test the ability of digital transmitters to 
broadcast to individual households within blocks of flats.

McIntosh's comments come as media secretary Tessa Jowell announced on 
Wednesday (19 May) that the government was to begin consultations over 
a timetable for digital switchover. The move is a change of gear from a 
government which critics claim is struggling to meet its target of 
converting 95% of households by 2010.

Source: broadcastnow.co.uk




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