Dundee LibDem councillor to meet Digital UK over Freeview issue

2.55.32pm UTC (GMT +0000) Sun 21st May 2006

Fraser Macpherson to meet Digital UK over Freeview issue

Dundee West End & City Centre Liberal Democrat councillor, Fraser Macpherson, is to meet David Mortimer, Head of Public Affairs at Digital UK in London, following the Tay Bridges Ward councillor raising the issue of lack of access to Freeview television services for many of his constituents in Dundee's West End and City Centre.

The councillor, who also recently wrote to the office of Prime Minister Tony Blair about the issue, has been campaigning on the subject for some time because around 35 000 people in Dundee and NE Fife are served by the transmitter which continues to carry only analogue signals and are being denied access to digital terrestrial television until the "analogue switch off" in the Grampian TV area in 2010.

Cllr Macpherson said he had recently been contacted by Digital UK, as they are aware of his highlighting the issue locally. Digital UK is the independent, non-profit organisation leading the UK's move to digital television. It was established to provide impartial information on what people need to do to prepare for the move the digital, and when they need to do it.

Cllr Macpherson said, "I was pleased to accept Digital UK's offer of a meeting when I am next in London, and am pleased they are aware of the strength of feeling about this issue locally.

"The continuing failure to convert the Tay Bridge transmitter to also carry digital signals means that virtually all residents in my Ward in the West End and City Centre cannot receive digital terrestrial television, along with thousands of other Dundee citizens in Craigiebank, much of Broughty Ferry, other parts of the City and in North Fife.

"Many residents feel that it is completely unfair that many TV licence payers are simply not getting the digital services others receive. I will be discussing with Digital UK what could be done in the immediate future in a practical sense," commented Cllr Macpherson

BACKGROUND INFORMATION :

Earlier this year, Cllr Macpherson raised concerns with the Department of Culture, Media & Sport about what he has termed a "Freeview lottery", pointing out that many Dundee and North Fife citizens are being denied access to Freeview digital TV services. In response, the Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism has confirmed to Cllr Macpherson that services will not be extended to include them until the Grampian TV "analogue switch-off" date of 2010.

Many of Cllr Macpherson's constituents in the West End and City Centre of Dundee have long expressed concern about the continuing lack of digital TV coverage served by the Tay Bridge transmitter at the south end of the Tay Bridge.

In response, James Purnell MP, Minister of Creative Industries and Tourism replied to Cllr Macpherson saying that he does appreciate the frustration of residents of Dundee and North Fife who cannot receive digital terrestrial television, but that the reason for this "is simply the lack of available frequencies." The Minister continued - "Nationally, frequency allocation is very restricted due to the number of existing analogue signals that are in use. It would only be upon the release of these frequencies, after the cessation of analogue broadcasting, that coverage for digital terrestrial television can be increased to reach 98.5%, the same level as current analogue television coverage." The Minister further stated that the digital switchover plan was "not decided by Government but by broadcasters, multiplex operators and Ofcom, and was based on technical criteria."

Cllr Macpherson commented that, following the Minister's response being highlighted, many residents had contacted him to complain about the situation.

Other residents in the Charleston area of the City also cannot receive digital terrestrial signals as the Camperdown relay transmitter, like Tay Bridge, carries analogue signals only.

Cllr Macpherson said that, whilst the accepted that the final digital switchover plan had been based on the technical data available at the time, the whole "analogue to digital" process had not been thought through by government early enough, which had resulted in this "postcode lottery" for the next four to six years across the UK. He wrote to the Prime Minister last month highlighting the issue in Dundee and NE Fife.

Cllr Macpherson said he had advised the Prime Minister that many residents feel that it is completely unfair that many TV licence payers are simply not getting the digital services others receive. Tay Bridge is one of about 20 transmitters in the UK that serve populations of more than 30 000 people but still do not broadcast digital pictures. Ofcom has estimated that there are about 20 transmitters that serve populations above 30 000 that do not yet broadcast digital signals. Tay Bridge is number 12 on the list in terms of population, the first being Ebbw Vale.

Councillor Macpherson said there was great concern that the "digital switchover" plan had essentially created two classes of viewer - those served by principal transmitters which carry digital and those served by many of the relay transmitters, like Tay Bridge, which do not.

Related Link:

Dundee LibDem councillor takes Freeview issue to the Prime Minister.