Government should pay for Cornwall’s vulnerable to go digital
Cornwall's five Liberal Democrat MPs have expressed their concern at news that over 40% of people in the Westcountry TV region don't understand what to do when analogue transmitters are switched off in 2009.
Although a Digital Switchover Bill did appear in the recent Queen's Speech, this will only serve to identify those who will require assistance with the switch to digital. It is still not known what help such people will receive, who will provide it and at what cost.
Commenting, Julia Goldsworthy MP said:
"With Cornwall being among the first regions to switch to digital, I am concerned that so many people do not understand what it will entail. We have consistently pressed the Government on this issue and specifically raised the needs of vulnerable people. Whilst this legislation will help to identify households of the elderly and disabled, it does not detail what help they will receive or how it will be paid for.
"Ultimately, it is the Government that should be meeting this challenge, not Cornwall's licence fee payers."
North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson added:
"The Government have promised that everyone who presently gets an analogue signal will be able to watch digital TV after the switchover.
"However, analogue signals vary from the very weak to the very strong, whereas intelligible digital signals are either present or absent. Our worry is that there is a potential for those with a weak signal today to be left with no signal in 2009."
Notes to Editors:
1. The Government wrote to MPs earlier in the year describing the extra help with the switch from analogue to digital television reception which will be available to households of the elderly or disabled. It stated:
"We do not want those who are eligible to have to go through a lengthy claims procedure in order to get the support. So, to enable eligible households to be identified and contacted, we will seek a suitable legislative opportunity to ask for Parliament's approval to use information held by the Department for Work and Pensions."
2. The latest data from the body charged with overseeing digital switchover, Digital UK, published earlier this month shows that only 59% of people know what to do when switchover arrives in the region.
