Dundee LibDems again express Digital TV concerns

7.49.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 4th Apr 2006

Dundee LibDems express Digital TV concerns

Dundee Liberal Democrats have today (Tuesday 4th April) renewed their concerns about the government's handling of the TV "analogue switch-off." This follows local LibDems highlighting the lack of digital terrestrial TV for thousands of Dundonians for the years ahead.

In addition to local concerns about the lack of digital TV availability locally from the Tay Bridge and Camperdown transmitters, figures calculated by the Liberal Democrats, based on research by Ofcom, have shown that digital TV switchover will cost the consumer £17.5m- £70m extra in electricity bills. Digital television uses more power, and Ofcom has concluded that :

"Typical household power consumption is expected to increase by 0.1 to 0.4kWh per day - an estimated cost of £2 to £8 per year at current tariffs. This is approximately equivalent to running a 60W light bulb for 1.5 to 6.5 hours per day.

"The total anticipated peak additional power consumption in the UK as a direct result of switchover is expected to be around 31MWh per day (approximately equivalent to each UK household running a child's night light for around ten minutes per day). Over time, as older equipment is naturally replaced and technology becomes more power efficient, our model predicts that this will trend towards zero."

"This is another aspect of the digital TV switchover which must be of concern," commented Cllr Fraser Macpherson, Dundee City Council LibDem Group Leader.

Jo Swinson MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Scottish Secretary, last week welcomed the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee's report on Analogue Switch-off, saying, "Many of the potential problems raised by the Report could have been avoided if the UK Government had been quicker off the mark in announcing the switchover dates.

"Television viewers in Scotland will be amongst the first to see the impact when the 'Border' television region leads the way on switchover in 2008. There is a danger that too many people will be left behind in the digital revolution. We must not only ensure that elderly and disabled people get the financial and practical help they need. We must guarantee that people in isolated rural communities won't get left with expensive digiboxes that can't get a signal.

"It is pleasing to see that the committee doesn't think the licence fee should be used to fund the government's social goals. Switchover is a Government priority, and it's absolutely right that the Exchequer should fund it.

"The benefits of digital television are huge, but it needs careful planning and speedy action from both government and the industry if the public are to receive the information and assistance they need."

Related Links:

Ofcom report on digital switchover.

Dundee Liberal Democrats criticise "Freeview Postcode Lottery" - February 2006.