[CMA TV] Free digital TV for old and disabled

[Michelle McGuire]

Free digital TV for old and disabled
Helen Groom
16 September 2005 08:00

Media secretary Tessa Jowell has revealed how the government plans to  
help the elderly and the disabled switch to digital TV.
Speaking at the Royal Television Society Cambridge convention last  
night Jowell said all households where one member is over the age of  
75, or where one inhabitant is disabled and receiving benefits, would  
be given a free digital device for one TV.

Each qualifying household would also be given free installation and  
ongoing support. Jowell said the equipment and support on offer would  
be platform neutral.

The initiative will be will be funded through the BBC licence fee.
The announcement came as Jowell confirmed the digital switchover  
timetable, which will take place between 2008 and 2012 and be based  
on the ITV regions.

Border, one of the worst served digital areas, will be the first to  
go in 2008 with Tyne Tees and Ulster the last to go in the second  
half of 2012.

The full timetable is:
Region Year Start Date
Border 2008 2nd Half
West Country 2009 1st Half
HTV Wales 2nd Half
Granada 2nd Half
HTV West 2010 1st Half
Grampian 1st Half
Scottish Television 2nd Half
Yorkshire 2011 1st Half
Anglia 1st Half
Central 1st Half
Meridian 2012 1st Half
Carlton / LWT 1st Half
(London)
Tyne Tees 2nd Half
Ulster 2nd Half

Meanwhile Ofcom has revealed that digital TV penetration had reached  
63% of UK households by the end of June, up from 61.9% at the end of  
March.

700,000 additional Freeview boxes and iDTVs were sold during the  
second quarter of the year, with BSkyB adding an extra 75,000  
subscribers during the period.

Ofcom now estimates that the number of DTT only homes grew to almost  
5,178,000 by the end of June 2005.



Source: broadcastnow.co.uk


-- 
Michelle McGuire
Editor, Airflash Magazine
Development Officer

Community Media Association
http://www.commedia.org.uk

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