The digital revolution could create real risks without proper handling by the government, dilute programme quality and impose unacceptable costs on consumers. These are some of the conclusions of a new report by the National Consumer Council (NCC), called TV’s Last Wave, released today.
Director of the NCC, Ruth Evans, commented when launching the report:”Not only are there doubts about cost and accessibility, there is also no guarantee that the new services will deliver quality programmes…Digital TV will certainly change things, but only time will tell if the changes are what consumers want.”
The report made several strong suggestions for a strategy to deal with the launch of the digital revolution (see Newsline for a run down of the digital television services on offer).
It recommended that the Government delay the switch-off of analogue broadcasting for at least 15 years. The Independent Television Commission recently stated that it was too early to set a switch-off date (see Newsline), and the NCC report urged the Government to wait and watch the development of the digital networks in order to ensure that nobody loses out. Ruth Evans stated:” Not everyone will be able to receive digital TV immediately or be able to afford it. It’s not just a question of the cost of the digital service – there’s also the fact that once analogue is switched off, old TV’s and videos which consumers have invested in will become useless without extra gadgets.”
The NCC also suggested that safeguards be created to prevent the mis-selling of digital equipment to consumers, and recommended retailers adopt a code of practice involving attaching labels to equipment in showrooms indicating that additional equipment will be needed to use it in the future. The NCC also advised that there be tough regulation to ensure the analogue signals were not degraded in order to encourage people to switch to digital.
The general approach of the report stressed the importance of consulting consumers before ending analogue broadcasting. Ruth Evans commented:”We need a cast iron guarantee from the Government that nobody will lose out. We are talking about the discontinuation of a near-universal service and its replacement by one offering benefits which are still largely unknown. There must be time for consumers to witness the advantages of digital TV – and for government to explore ways of assisting people who are unable to receive digital services.”
A complete copy of the report, TV’s Last Wave, is available from the NCC at a cost of £6. The report is the Council’s formal response to Television: The Digital Future, a consultation paper from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
National Consumer Council: 0171 730 0191
