Watchdog Barks At Digital TV

The Office of Telecommunications, OFTEL, has the job of regulating conditional access services for digital TV. OFTEL issued draft guidelines last December, aimed at ensuring access to conditional access services is fair reasonable and non-discriminatory between broadcasters *Oftel Aims For Fair Digital TV.

The response to this draft led Don Cruickshank, director general of telecommunications, to comment yesterday: “We received helpful comments from all interested parties on the December draft. The guidelines I am publishing today reflect these comments. They aim to give a clear picture to all in the market about what OFTEL would consider fair and non-discriminatory and what would be anti-competitive.” He went on to say: “It is clearly important that when digital television is launched all who want to can participate.”

In order to ensure that these conditions are met, Cruickshank has written to all interested parties asking them to let him have details of their discussions to date and a clear indication of how they intend to meet their obligations. This information will need to cover proposals made or received on pricing, subscriber management and authorisation, electronic programme guides and transcontrol. Cruickshank will then consider what, if any, further action to take in the light of the responses received.

The newly published guidelines give guidance on a number of issues including:

The pricing of conditional access to services and the circumstances in which any subsidy for set-top boxes might be recoverable through charges to broadcasters.

How electronic programme guides can be made competitively neutral.

Subscriber authorisation, including the potential operation of more than one smart-card by competing broadcasters.

*Subscribers only

OFTEL: 0171 634 8700