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Digital Television
Every home should be able to enjoy the benefits of digital television:
- an increased choice of channels, a number of which are free-to-air
- interactive services, including home shopping, home banking, e-mail and internet access, and
- improved picture and quality
Switching to digital will also benefit the UK economy in terms of manufacturing and employment and in the more efficient use of scarce spectrum.
The government is committed to ensuring that terrestrial analogue broadcasting signals are maintained until:
- Everyone who can currently get the main public service broadcasting channels in analogue form (BBC 1 and 2, ITV, Channel 4/S4C and Channel 5) can receive them on digital systems
- Switching to digital is an affordable option for the vast majority of people
- As a target indicator of affordability, 95 % of consumers have access to digital equipment
When the Government first announced these criteria in September 1999, it said that digital switchover could start to happen as early as 2006 and be completed by 2010.
The Digital Television Action Plan, issued in December 2001, sets out a series of actions to ensure the switchover from analogue to digital television takes place.
The Plan identifies who should lead on those issues and sets target dates for delivery. A Government Steering Group is chaired jointly by DCMS and DTI Ministers.
DCMS and DTI have set up the Digital TV website which contains information on the Government's policies and initiatives on digital television including the Digital Action Plan. |
